So it’s trite but its true, time really does fly when you are having fun. How can it be that my time in China is more than halfway over when it seems that I’ve just arrived and gotten used to life here in the really big city. It seems like a fitting time to reflect on some things I’ve observed, learned, puzzled over, and missed during my first two months here. Thus, I now present my top 10 observations about life here in Beijing – in no particular order.
10. To start on a serious note, we Americans really are a wasteful bunch. And as such, we generate a lot of trash. Honestly, I think a lot of people here would be shocked to see the size of my kitchen trash barrel in Waltham (and to learn how often I have to change the bag). We waste food, water, paper and other resources at an amazing rate (I fully confess that I miss the easy access we have to copy machines and zip-lock bags). Asked two months ago if I could live without a clothes dryer, I would have reluctantly conceded that I would probably survive. And yet here I am still alive and well without the joys of fluff and fold.
9. Chinese food really is better in China...Food in general really is better in China. Everything is fresher (we watched a fish frantically flopping on the floor of a restaurant trying to avoid the cook’s net one day) and not as overcooked here. To all of those optimists who suggested that I might lose weight during my time here, I can definitively state that I am in no danger of that. Not to mention that there is McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut all within easy walking distance of our school here if we ever get to missing good old American junk food. Grocery shopping is an adventure, but once you know what you’re looking for you can pretty much find anything here (last night I had a mungbean popsicle for dessert after dinner – and it was pretty good!)
8. The subway here is awesome – especially now that I have and know how to use my rechargeable subway card (the first time I used it, I accidentally put it into the single-trip card reader and “broke” the subway exit). This is the first year that some of the new subway lines have been open (they were finished just before the Olympics last summer) and you can get pretty much everywhere now. The line I use most often (line 5) just opened before the Olympics and I can’t imagine life here without it. A subway ride costs 2 yuan (less than 50 cents) and while the cars are usually very crowded (if you know the green line B –trains at 8:30 am you know what I mean by crowded) the trains are fast and come every few minutes.
7. One of the first things a lot of people told me when I got here was “we have a lot people”. I never thought I’d say this, but the crowds here aren’t so bad once you get used to them. The other day we went to this crazy “clothing” fair (like a giant flea market that runs for two weeks straight with vendors selling clothing, shoes, mops, pans, plants, jewelry, textiles, you name it… ) at Ditan Park. This is the same temple grounds where we went to a fair for New Year’s when we first arrived. During that first visit, I was amazed at all the people and how they all just pushed to get where they wanted to go. At the clothing fair the other day I found myself pushing right along with everyone else, not minding the crowds of people bumping into me from all sides as I hunted through the piles of rings, scarves, and bedspreads to find a hidden treasure.
6. Its more fun to have a sore throat in the US than it is here. Ok, maybe fun is not the right word, but in the USA we treat sore throats with ice cream, lots and lots of ice cream. Here, I was dismayed to discover that ice cream is actively discouraged when you have a sore throat, due to how dry everything is. Living dangerously, however, I have enjoyed many McDonald’s milkshakes while getting over a recent cold.
5. It has been several weeks since I’ve come close to being run over while crossing the street!
4. Teaching here in China is a lot like teaching in America. The students want to do well, and they soak up information eagerly. In a class of 40 students it is difficult to reach everyone all the time, but my students and their teachers have been truly appreciative of my efforts. We’ve learned about 18th century whaling while reading Moby Dick, we’ve practiced using persuasion while studying Jane Austen, and studied some aspects of American culture.
3. Kitsch is highly under-rated, particularly Chinese kitsch. I think I’ve mentioned my fascination with all things kitschy here in previous entries, so I’ll just say now that I love any country that has entire stores devoted to useless but somehow irresistibly amusing baubles and trinkets. Among the items making the trip home with me will be a bobble-headed cow, a dragon made entirely of bamboo leaves, a stuffed Winne the-Pooh dressed as an ox, and a spinning Buddha necklace.
2. Yes, the Chinese language is as difficult to learn as it first appears to be. The Chinese people, however, are extremely generous in their encouragement and praise of any and all efforts to speak, read, or write the language. Being tone deaf is a distinct disadvantage when learning a tonal language, and its not uncommon for me to say something that I think is perfectly clear, only to have the listener look at me with a completely confused expression. All the TV shows have Chinese subtitles, and one day I thought my Chinese must be improving since I could read almost all the words at the bottom of the screen, then I realized it was a cartoon for kids that I was watching.
1. Starbucks is good, and I’ve enjoyed some green tea lattes, but it will never be as good as Dunkin’ Donuts. I can’t wait to go into my local dunks and ask (in English) for a medium iced regular!
