Dog Days

November 12, 2010

in Beijing

Yesterday as I was walking down from the subway to my area Carrefour store, I noticed a Chinese man out walking with his dog. I’m a huge dog lover, but logistically it is not the right time for the DH and I to be pet owners. Instead, I admire the growing variety (and sizes) of pet dogs on the streets of Beijing.

This little dog was naughty, and kept biting on the man’s cuff leg, every step he took pulling the dog along. I found this rather amusing and I couldn’t help but smile. The man noticed and joked (in Chinese) with his dog that he should try his cuff biting trick out on me. I waved my finger no at the dog and we both laughed. Not everyone on the street here has a sense of humor and not everyone will interact with a foreigner, so I enjoyed our shared laughter even more.

Sometimes Beijing notices I am not feeling 100% and so conspires to cheer me up. So thanks, Beijing, for the doggie and yesterday’s lovely blue sky. I’m sorry I said I liked Shenzhen better. ;)

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Starting From Scratch

November 10, 2010

in Blogging, Daily Life

Believe it or not, I have really missed blogging. Every day lots of little interesting things happen and I immediately think, “Oh, I could blog about that.” Then I almost always think, “Add that to the never-ending list of things I should be blogging about.” In fact I’ve kinda been obsessing over my need to do so. And obviously I haven’t done so. And I’m probably not going to do so.

So I’m starting from scratch. I’m not starting from scratch as in deleting the blog scratch, just that I’m going to just start blogging again as if today were day one. And we’ll see how it goes from there.

It is as good a time as any for restarts. I have to admit that 2010 has been one of the worst years on record for the DH and I. (And the number 1 reason I have not felt up to blogging.) Not that we can really complain, as we are both in good health and we are not (yet) destitute, but in terms of work uncertainty – does he have the new job? when will the new job start? when will the medical check be completed? where are we moving? when are we moving? will he get the US visa? will he be reassigned to a new airplane or are we looking for a new job? when will he be paid? when will we know our permanent base? when will the training start? will I find a job? should I even look for a job when we don’t know if we’ll stay here? when? where? why? how? etc. We are just plain worn out – more than ready to start fresh. 2011 can’t get here fast enough.

The DH will be leaving soon to attend a training course in Dallas. He hasn’t been in the US since 1999 and I can’t wait to hear his impressions of how it has/hasn’t changed. Maybe I’ll even make him do a guest blog on it. (Hmmm – payback for all his recent blog comment harassment?) I’ve been prepping him for the inhumane TSA treatment he’ll experience in the airports and warning him that the Christmas consumer blitz will be full-throttle. I’ve also been planning his shopping strategy (we are in desperate need of deodorant and socks) – evidently he was unaware of Target’s superiority in the chain of all-inclusive shopping supercenters. And since he might very well be in Dallas on Black Friday, he needs all the pointers he can get.

Speaking of travel, we’re back in Beijing after nearly two weeks in Shenzhen, the Chinese city that sits on the border with Hong Kong. A lot of people deride Shenzhen as a big city without any culture, but I thought it was awesome. Blue skies, warm weather, tropical greenery. Shenzhen is a youthful city – literally full of youth everywhere you look. I could easily imagine myself living there, and I suppose there is a small possibility the DH’s company could transfer him. We’ll see. For now, it is Beijing. And although I like Beijing, I have to say that driving home from the airport yesterday, the city felt a little old, a little tired, a little grey and a lot cold. We went from sunny and 26C in Shenzhen to gloomy and 3C in Beijing. Bu hao!

Sometime back in the Mao days, it was decided that central heating systems north of the Yangtze river would be started up on November 15th. No earlier, no later. Beijing is right on schedule, as we returned to our “luxury” (and ridiculously expensive, especially compared to Shenzhen) apartment to find no heat. In the management office we were told “eleven fifteen” in response to our queries about it. No earlier, no later. The DH is beside himself. His very logical brain just can’t fathom why they won’t turn the heat on early when the temperatures are already very low, with nighttime temps below 0C.

So goes the lament of the Beijing expat. And there’s plenty more where that came from! ;)

Update: The DH just came from the apartment management office (where he went for a second time to complain about the heat) and now they are saying that “maybe tomorrow” the heat might be turned on. Maybe. Might. Such sweet words. (As I sit on the sofa with a fleece and two blankets.)

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The Best Is Yet To Come

October 17, 2010

in Uncategorized

If I can shake the procrastination bug!

Oh, blog… What should I do with you? Every day away makes it harder to come back. Fear not, however, I do have a plan for you.

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Ten Surprising Things

September 21, 2010

in Daily Life

Proving that my procrastination abilities are still going strong, (and that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me!), days ago I was tagged by fellow China blogger Ambrose-a-rama to share ten surprising things about myself.

It’s taken me a while to come up with these. ;)

  1. The summer after I graduated from high school and returned to the US, I was so enamored by Marie Callender’s Frozen Pot Pies that I ate one everyday. It’s amazing how much weight one can gain from a primarily frozen pot pie diet.
  2. I was born with severe club feet and had to wear casts and later braces on my feet. My parents claim this is the reason I went straight from crawling to running at nine months.
  3. I used to win spelling bee competitions, but since learning Spanish, I am no longer capable of spelling anything in English. Thank god for speelcheck.
  4. I got married in a 13th century romanesque church. At 9PM. In Spain in August, 9PM is considered kinda early. Crazy Spaniards.
  5. Although my culinary skills are sadly lacking in almost every way, I make a mean baba ghanouj.
  6. I often have very unpleasant dreams involving filthy, flooded public bathrooms. Contrary to what you might think, these dreams started long before moving to China.
  7. My favorite animal is the donkey. Not kitties or bunnies or chimpanzees in pink dresses. Asses.
  8. I love sci-fi. A lot. This one even surprises me sometimes.
  9. (Jen, don’t hate me for this one!) I really have no clue what happens in an American football game. I know they start and stop a lot and there are people with big metal poles connected by chains moving around all the time on the sidelines, but that’s about it. (I should get points for knowing it is a sideline, though, right?)
  10. I have four academic degrees and no job. Overeducated much?

Did you learn anything new or surprising about me? What about you? If you’d like to share some surprising things about yourself, you can leave a comment here or answer on your own blog.

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Sounds of the City

September 20, 2010

in Beijing, China, Daily Life

The weather here in Beijing has taken a dramatic turn towards Autumn, and I could not be happier. As the kind of person who breaks a sweat just thinking about leaving her AC controlled-abode and turns beet red at the slightest elevation of temperature, 17-24°C is a dream come true.

For the first time since moving into our apartment, all of the windows are open. Which has led to a rediscovery of our surroundings. Living up on the 17th (really the 13th) floor with the windows sealed, creates a feeling of being walled off from our surroundings. Our walls are relatively sound proof and the area surrounding our building is happily lacking in the annoying construction noises that plague much of Beijing (and China in general!) But with the windows open…

Somewhere far off the sound of hammering and sawing echoes through the neighborhood. Possibly from the apartment below ours a woman screechily sings traditional Chinese songs accompanied by a badly tuned erhu. Down on the ground behind the apartment complex, middle school kids shout jia you (a cheer like ‘come on!’) as they play basketball and practice shooting free throws. The occasional dog barks and far too often cars honk.

No.55 Middle School

No.55 Middle School Playground – before I shot this pic there were many more kids

We’re just glad that the kindergarteners, who occupy a new building below our bedroom windows, are inside doing what kindergarteners do inside. Yesterday they were all outside in their brightly painted courtyard running around and screaming so loudly we were actually concerned they might have fallen prey to one of those crazy kindergartener attackers that have hit Chinese schools during the past few months. A quick glance out the window assured us all was right in the world and they were just kids being kids.

No.1 Kindergarten

No.1 Kindergarten

Getting to know the personality of a new neighborhood takes time, and one never knows for sure how things will be when a new season rolls around. Wednesday China will celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, so although my cultural calendar says it is just beginning, we are already enjoying our first Autumn in Beijing.

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Looking Back Five Years

September 14, 2010

in Blogging, China, Moving

Seems all I do these days is navel-gaze! Here’s another post along those lines. I’m participating in a “Get Back to Blogging” event on the SITS website (a site & forum for blogging support) and our first assignment was to repost our very first blog post. Here’s mine. (Actually, my second because the first was only one sentence long.)

July 22, 2005

Moving Again: It’s Scary and Exciting

A few weeks ago, the DH (henceforth DH to mean Dear Hubby) applied for a job in China, more or less on a whim. I thought, “Oh, that’s cool,” and then sort of forgot about it. He got replies right away and before I knew it, moving to China seemed like a plausible thing. [GG's note: Little did I know the anxiety waiting for me in the next few weeks. Liquidating most of our possessions, packing up the things I would keep at my parents' house, choosing what to take with us, saying good-bye, realizing that I was stepping off into the VERY unknown...]

China?! I don’t know very much about China, and in fact, I have never been all that interested. But this has happened before. I never had much interest in the Spanish language or culture, and then DH came along. Now I am fluent in Spanish and have lived in Central America and Spain. Circumstances like these have a way of popping up for me! [This is the ironic and sad bit. It's been hard for me to totally embrace China and Mandarin, since I felt no strong pull to come here. I feel that pull for the Middle East, and despite what I wrote here, for Spain. I'm trying everyday to love China. It is not always easy.]

So I am embracing the idea. I love learning languages, and I love to travel. I am practically a gypsy. China will just be one more adventure. I’ve been to the library and checked out everything they had at my branch on China. Tour guides, travelogues, culture books and language tapes. Ni Hao! [The amount of information out there on China is overwhelming. The DH and I continue to search for documentaries, books and websites focusing on China and even though we've lived here FIVE years, we still feel perplexed by so much! And I still feel like a gypsy. I've been an expat now full-time since 2000. I can hardly imagine living any other way.]

I’ve also learned that I can teach English in China fairly easily. I’ve already contacted two schools and they are both interested in me. I’m nervous about that because I’ve never actually taught English before. [This idea didn't work out the way I hoped. The schools were located 40km away from the airport and this meant that the DH and I would have been separated during the week. I ended up with a teaching position at the flight school, so it all worked out in the end. After 4 1/2 years of teaching English, I've decided it is NOT for me!]

Leaving Toronto will be hard, and that surprises me. I’ve always maintained the idea that I am not attached to any one place, but I have really made a comfortable little “nest” here in Toronto. [I still miss TO!]

I love my century old house. I love the squirrels that play on my back porch. I love Kensington Market. I love the Bohemia of my neighborhood and neighbors. I love the I Deal Coffee Shop where you can get the best espresso on the planet. I love Il Gatto Nero pizza place. I love the Alchemy Bakery and their fabulous baguette and lavender shortbread cookies. I love Omnivore Cafe’s strawberry mint lemonade that comes in biodegradable plastic cups. I love the Kensington Avenue vintage clothing stores and Tutti Frutti Organic Health Food Store. Maybe I am getting too comfortable. Maybe I love it all too much. Besides, there will be plenty to explore in China. [Oh, is there ever!]

***

I honestly NEVER imagined we would still be in China, five years later. But here we are! And here we will likely be for another two years. Goes to show you just never know where your path leads.

If you keep a blog, I encourage you to look back to the beginning of your blogging journey. How has your life changed/stayed the same? There’s nothing wrong with a little navel-gazing every now and then!

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What Exactly is Real?

September 13, 2010

in China

Begin rant:

What is with the use of the phrase the “real China?” I read it all over the place, especially from laowai living in Beijing or Shanghai talking about leaving the big city to visit the “real China.” Umm… I think my Chinese neighbor here in Beijing might be interested to know that he doesn’t really live in China. Not the “real China” anyway.

Newsflash – there are all kinds of experiences to be had in China and there are all sorts of Chinese. Those who live in upscale, glitzy apartment complexes, are just as REAL as their brothers in the third tier.

Maybe you mean you are visiting a “different part of China” or the “Chinese hinterland” or “rural China” or the “third tier” or a “less-developed China?” That’s what you mean, right?

End rant.

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Growing Up

September 12, 2010

in Daily Life

nobody ever said growing up is easyI’m not really a grown up, am I? I don’t have kids. I don’t even have a fish or turtle. Sometimes I sit around all day in my pajamas, which more often than not are a ragged t-shirt and repurposed boxer shorts combo. I have no idea what I’m doing in the kitchen. I think I’m doing okay since I conquered the stove top espresso maker and I can reasonably be trusted to boil an egg, but then I meet people who know how to bake bread and make Quiche. I still sleep with my baby blanket for god’s sake. And in my mind I’m not much older than the 20-year-old college kid I was just a few years ago. Well, I guess it has been more than a few years ago. But seriously, when do you feel like an adult? I just don’t get it. I’m kind of embarrassed to be writing about any of this, but I can’t help myself.

When we moved to China five years ago, we were thrust into a situation where we lived like university students. We lived in a hotel room; we ate all our meals in a restaurant surrounded by our single male friends; we lived out of suitcases and traveled a lot. Moving to Linyi meant access to a kitchen, even if its only amenities were a single hot plate and a microwave. Buying ingredients was an adventure at first – visiting the street market for fruits and vegetables, scouring the local supermarkets for things that looked like salt, discovering fun new products like seaweed snack-strips. But eventually it became a slog and a chore. I just didn’t have enough basic cooking skills to look at an onion and know what to do with it. (No seriously, how in the heck do you cut those things? I’ve got war wounds!) And the meat truly terrified me. So we ate out a lot. It was cheap, easy and delicious.

When we moved to Beijing, I vowed that I would become a grown up. I’d keep our house organized and spic and span. I’d venture out to buy fresh foods and rely on the import supermarkets every once-in-a-while. I’d mingle with other tai tais and indulge in hobbies and pick up tennis. (? I don’t know where that came from either.) I’d buy a cookbook and create meals. I’d use my oven! Such grand plans. The thing I forgot is that we humans get stuck in our routines and don’t really deviate from our ingrained norms too much. (Seems my ingrained norm is “sandwiches for dinner!”) This is why people should not idealize vacation destinations and say things like, “if I lived here I’d *insert activity* every day and I’d be such a happier person.” Guess what – you probably wouldn’t *insert activity* every day. You’d just go about your normal life in a slightly different way. Not at first mind you, at first you’d be so bewildered by all the newness you would likely not get anything done at all.

While I certainly don’t feel like an adult with a capital A, I guess I am one. My nieces and nephews all probably think I’m ancient, just like they think their parents are ancient. And sometimes, when my left knee gets all achy for no reason I think I might be ancient, too.

This afternoon I’m going to sit down with a notebook, calendar and laptop to make a weekly meal plan with coordinating shopping list. Next week I’ll probably take up canasta and go shopping for bifocals.

photo credit: Titimo

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Summer in Beijing: Cuandixia

September 6, 2010

in China, Travel

Cuandixia, China

Cuandixia Village

It’s just a small village on the old road from Beijing west to Shanxi Province. A place where travelers would stop for a snack or to stay the night. Practically forgotten when the highways changed the western route, Cuandixia has embraced its heritage as a hospitality village to become a hot little tourist attraction. The fact that the village, built during the Qing and Ming dynasties (from 500 years ago), is like an open-air museum with well-preserved courtyard homes and hardly any visible modern amenities helps.

Old Courtyard

An overgrown courtyard

Back in July I visited Cuandixia with three Beijing friends. We were seeking escape from a hot and pollution shrouded city. Cuandixia was our answer. Warm but not hot, with clear blue skies above, we were able to relax and enjoy the day with a delicious country-style meal and leisurely strolls through the old stone streets.

Mill Stone

Grinding Mill Stone

The village is very small so it is easy to just set off down any little alleyway you find. Pretty much every house you pass is set up as a guesthouse/restaurant. We followed a narrow lane up some intriguing steps to find an eclectic grouping of signs advertising the highest restaurant in the village. Why not give it a try?

Restaurant Signs

Xiangyao Inn

We could not have been happier with our choice. The restaurant is a roofed terrace overlooking the village with a unique menu. Between the four of us, we were able to order several dishes and a couple of bottles of beer. Only after we had struggled along for five minutes did the owner produce an English menu. The food was fresh, hot and tasty.

Hanging Menu

The restaurant’s unique menu

Restaurant Squirrel

The restaurant’s mascot or menu item? We weren’t sure!

We traveled to Cuandixia in a private van arranged through a Beijing tour agency (Where one of my friends happens to work.) The trip took about 3 hours. It is possible to reach the city via public bus, Google “Cuandixia” for more info on that.

Many visitors come to Cuandixia and spend the night in one of the many guesthouses. Near the village are several hikes and other small villages to visit. If you like a very low-key getaway, the village is ideal. Just a warning, however, the public toilets at the edge of town are horrifying. Although they are housed in a new, purpose-built building, it seems no one has ever bothered to clean them.

Village with Propaganda

A village woman with propaganda message

Old building

An old building

A selection of doorways:
Old door
Old door 2
Old door 3
A very big thanks to J., I. and S. for including me in this day trip and helping me through the long summer!

Village view

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One Day at a Time

September 4, 2010

in Blogging, Daily Life

Please excuse me, I’m feeling a little bit sorry for myself. I wrote a post yesterday about all the things I love about Beijing, but today I can’t seem to let myself post it. I’m moody. I’m wondering when exactly our lives will be totally back on track. The waiting period of the last three months played havoc with our routines and our livelihoods. We’ve been told to be patient, we’ve been told that answers will come. In the meantime, we brood. Since we’re not 100% sure we will stay in Beijing, we’re reticent about totally assimilating into life here. (I realize that is a vague statement and the first you’ve heard of that particular fact. We’re confident we’re staying in China, we’re just not sure which base will be our home.)

Uncertainty is a part of the expat life. You’re never certain you’re saying the right thing in the crazy foreign language you must use. You’re never certain you’re paying an actual fair amount of money for the vegetables you’re buying off the guy on the street corner. (And god knows where this mysterious fellow and his vegetables have come from!) You’re never certain what’s in the package of “salt” you just picked up at the supermarket. You’re never certain the taxi driver really knows where he’s driving you, even though he grunted his affirmation that he does. And you’re never quite certain where you’ll even be living in a few years time. In our particular situation, we’re uncertain where we’ll be living in a few weeks time or even what kind of work either of us might be doing. Sigh.

The DH and I are both currently in China on tourist visas. We’ve decided to embrace our status and have been taking walks around the touristy Beijing sites, camera in hand. We did attempt to bike around, but then the DH had a bike-tastrophe. Until he can find a repairman, we walk. While the summer temps are still in full-force, they are considerably lower than the high 30s-low 40s of August, making our adventures a wee bit more tolerable. I have been fully aware of my Northern European stock each time I set foot outside this summer. The pasty white girl with the bright red face, furiously fanning herself? Yeah, that was me. I am more than ready for autumn, which just so happens to be Beijing’s best season.

So as we wonder what the autumn will bring, I will attempt to fill you in on my Beijing summer happenings. It has been a “one day at a time” kind of summer, and I’m thinking that this philosophy will have to extend to my blogging as well. Bear with me as I slowly ease back into the one routine I can fully embrace.

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