Not too much is new here in the Capitol. I am going to fly to HK or a nearby country soon so my visa remains valid. (I am currently on a tourist visa and must leave the country every three months. This is quite common for foreigners in China; take a couple days and go see HK, appreciate the huge international city and come home with a new Visa status.)
Yesterday was a blue sky, sun shining, soft breeze day and I took advantage of it by going for a two hour walk through the streets. This was much appreciated after two days of skies so murky I couldn't see buildings at the end of my street and feeling like I had to swim just to get to the subway. China's State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has a pollution rating that measures up to 500. While 25 is apparently safe, 200 is a bad day for Beijing. I am not totally clear on what's being mesausred and am a bit skeptical about the accuracy of these ratings, but SEPA's site does put the last six days all above 100 and last Monday at 238. Yuck.
While still trying to practicing awareness around sustainability, conservation, and anti-consummerism, I've realized that to enjoy living here, I have to just let some of that go for now. I was quite homesick for a few days and very upset with myself for coming to this city. Sometimes, I have a hard time differentiating between bravery and stupidity.
Some recent sites: blind erhu musician walking around the bus stops simultaneously playing the stringed instrument, the bones, and singing. Many many split pant babies, or crotchless panted babies and therefore many babies' bums. A group of older Chinese men and women in the park singing opera songs from scores they held up in the sunlight. Kites. Street food including my favorite folded up crepe with crunchy and egg and hot sauce inside. I'll try and get some more photos of common sites for y'all to enjoy.
I am working right now to design an English course to be taught at one of the premier schools in Beijing. This is quite exciting and fun. After years of frustration with the education system in America, I'm quite amazed I'm getting the opportunity to take my own shot at organizing group learning and teaching. After researching different ESL methods and techniques, I've been incorporating them into my philosophy on learning through teaching, personal connections deepening understand, and of course, discovery and creation being fun. So I get to make my own creative writing course. Wheee! I expect to learn a lot and hope to get better insight into the younger generation of Beijingers. The course is only on the weekends for about 2 months, which is great since I'll have the experience and be able to revise. My company is presenting a slideshow to the school and parents this weekend so I've been trying to outline clear business jargon and then translate it into Chinese. Classes start the following weekend and I'm rather jazzed to be around kids again. Woot!
"Are you sure my dishes are clean?" Flatwear in a local restaurant.
I keep asking people at restaurants where our food comes from, and no one has answered me yet. (But they do comment on how delicious it is.) I do plan on researching this and have to acknowledge how grateful I am for farmers / the agricultural industry that allows me to spend time devising lesson plans and going to cultural events. Thanks.
I will try and get more photos of the food, and hopefully learn how to cook. I never knew there were so many ways to prepare tofu, or meat, or vegetables. And the rice! Oh, it's so good. Plus bakeries and all these pastries that are all full of beans but all taste so different. And bubble tea! Hooray! Enclosed please see my favorite lunch, homemade dumplings with vinegar.
I made a new Chinese friend who works over in Sanlitun (the embassy neighborhood) and last night we spent a good couple hours walking around, giggling, and talking about boys. I do love how girls in China often walk down the street arm in arm or holding hands. Mom's virtual hugs are great, but it's nice to have actual human contact. Seemingly in line with many youth across China (and the world,) my friend left her home in Henan province when she was 17 to come to the city. Her hometown is very poor and undeveloped. Now she works an average of about 14 hours a day, 6 days a week in two different bars.
In other news, China banned any excursions up Mt. Everest until May 10 (tied to wanting to take the Olympic torch to the tallest spot on earth and wanting no complications.) I went to the new Olympic center and realized how difficult it's going to be for athletes from any other country to compete in this environment, and how China might just win every gold medal possible, even with so many American celebrities pulling support of the games. I think there is a lot of international news I don't really hear about over here, so if any of you out there find some interesting online stories, it'd be great if you sent them my way. marthagilbert at gmail.com
Video coming soon. Love you all and enjoy the spring!
1 comment:
I want some of those dumplings very badly.
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