Back Home

Well, it's been pretty eventful since I got back.
First off I confirmed that I am in fact allergic to cats. I was feeling alright when I arrived, not on allergy medicine, and then I went home to five cats and slept and have been pretty miserable ever since. I even took allergy medicine beforehand! I bought some stronger meds with a decongestant so hopefully that does the trick. If not, I'm going to consider the possibility I might be sick.. again.
The day after I arrived my mom had her christmas party which was fun. It was nice to see mom's old work friends that I've now known for, like, 10+ years. The dinner was pretty awesome. I woke up that morning at 6 after going to bed at midnight but then went back to bed at 9 and didn't wake until noon. Then I took a nap after dinner and woke up around 6. My days are really days yet, they're just periods of sleep and awake. It's 2am right now and I just woke up at 11:30pm... I'm really doing the opposite of improving (I'd say the word but I can't think of it).
Then today I finally turned in my computer to be fixed. For those of you who don't know my computer was having trouble starting up and didn't like this one particular update. So after turning it in I found out it's going to need a new hard drive which means bye bye to basically everything that isn't on my old computer or the few videos and school assignments I was able to save on my flash drive before taking it in. Thankfully there's facebook but there were a number of pictures people had asked me not to put on facebook so I didn't and now those are all gone. Oh well, nothing I can do now.
I was able to see my good friend Laura today! It was so nice to see a friend after so long. We're going to see a movie tomorrow night in Atlanta. Then at some point I need to make it down to see my friends' children and give them the gifts I got from China.
I really need to start wrapping my gifts for everyone. I think I'll start doing that tomorrow night when I'm awake when I shouldn't be.
Hope everyone who's made their way back from China (I think everyone has now) is adjusting well and is happy to be back with family and friends :)

Last Full Day in China

Today will be my last full day in China. My plane takes off tomorrow around 5pm. Also, tomorrow will literally be the longest day of my life. I leave Beijing around 5pm, go back in time and arrive in Chicago around 4pm, then I have a three hour wait until my plane to Atlanta leaves around 7pm and then I finally arrive in Atlanta around 10pm. Saturday will last.. well, I'm not sure- my itinerary doesn't say how long my first flight last but it's going to be a long time! I suppose, even on a plane, having a super long Saturday is a good thing.

Anyway, so after I took my final we had our graduation ceremony. Our teachers were there and some people received prizes for, like, best picture, funniest picture, most improved student, etc. It was really nice. We also received a free T-shirt! Well, I'm sure we paid for it somewhere but it felt free! Afterward a bunch of us took pictures and then we left. I decided it would be best to take pictures of what's going on out here so we can do a comparison when I arrive in the US.

However, I become totally badass. This is what I wore in the snow.

Didn't slip or trip once.

Peking Duck in Beijing

First I'd like to say that this blog has gotten more views than my other which has been up since February of this year while this blog started in September. I'm pretty stoked and it clearly shows how much content matters.

Anyway, so our group had decided we really needed to have Peking Duck before we left. (For those of you who don't know, Beijing used to be called "Peking" but changed with the change in pronunciation.) So one night most of got together and walked in the cold for about 15 minutes to this little restaurant to eat three ducks. That's it, we just had three ducks and some tea. Kate tried to get rid of the third duck when she realized not as many people were coming as she thought but apparently they start cooking the duck before you arrive so it was too late. Because they cook before you arrive, it's also very important that you arrive on time for your reservation. By the way, if the reservation part didn't tip you off, Peking duck is pretty expensive.
So we sat down and ordered some tea while we waited for our duck and what they do is a man in a chef's hat actually comes out with the duck on a cart and cuts the duck into tiny slices for the table.

I didn't realize I had my camera on paint mode but it looks cooler this way anyway

Each duck is two plates of slices. Then they also place some steamed pancakes on the table. Apparently, you eat the dish like a burrito with some celery (or other vegetable- I wasn't exactly sure what it was) with some sauce that some compared to Korean BBQ sauce ironically. You put that on the burrito pancake and wrap it up and bam! It was pretty delicious but I wasn't in love with it. I did get a pretty nice shot though, if I do say so myself.

Again, paint mode

We even managed to finish all three ducks so it was a very successful venture!

The Beginning of the End

Today I have my exam in Contemporary China and I totally didn't study enough. I mean, I might have but I won't know for sure until I'm in the class because we've never had a test in the class so I really don't know what to expect. We do have the questions so I can go over but I don't know which questions he's going to choose.
Anyway, after this I have a paper due Sunday that has to be twenty pages and then I have to present and then I have another paper I have to also present on and then I have my Chinese final.
This really is the beginning of the end for my procrastinating, anxious, terrible student self.

老师

Shao Laoshi (邵老师) is a petite young woman with long black hair that reaches the small of her back. She wears contacts to lighten her eye color but one can only tell when sitting close to her and the ends of her hair are permed to be wavy. She dresses in the typical Chinese fashion, very cute with interesting combinations. Normally she wears a short skirt with tights and a nice blouse with heels. Her voice isn't overly soft but it isn't very commanding or loud either. She takes the lessons seriously but laughs when Theo lists off his sentences to practice the grammar that all are about how hot he is (excuse me, "aesthetic"). She is absolutely adorable and she is my Chinese teacher.
Lately I've missed a lot of classes due to illness and so Marketus and those in D.C. suggested I make up class time with Shao Laoshi. So now I meet her twice a week for an hour and I just had my first session with her yesterday. When I arrived I saw she was writing the new vocabulary on sheets of paper for today. We discussed my exam and what I got wrong and why. Afterward I found out she needed to soon go to Tsinghua where she teaches as well. Actually, the times we meet are the only times she has available. Today in class she admitted she had a sore throat. Afterward, she admitted to me she hadn't gone to bed until five am.
You remember when you were a kid how you felt the teacher's life was at school? Wondered if maybe they lived at the school and were shocked when you saw them outside? I feel like Shao Laoshi is pretty close. It really seems like, besides her weekends, her life revolves around teaching and she's not a special case. Some teachers actually live in special dorms on campus that are specifically for professors. From what I've seen, there's no way you would ever find a teacher who didn't feel passionately about teaching in China like you sometimes find in the U.S.
Maybe it's just Shao. Either way, I have a totally awesome teacher who deserves to feel better soon.

Buying Clothes in China

So last night I went to the Chinese Wal-mart to buy some pants. I only have one pair that doesn't have a hole in them and since it isn't getting any warmer I thought it necessary. So I went in and found some jeans but they were mom jeans... meaning that the pants came up to my belly button instead of staying on my hips like most pants in the United States. That, or they weren't real jeans; they had like a stretch band which kind of reminded me of maternity wear.
Anyway, I ended up not finding any pants. The reason I went to Wal-mart to find clothes was because most places don't have fitting rooms except expensive places in malls and foreign stores like Wal-mart. A classmate of mine actually bought pants at a market without trying them on but they were American Eagle and she knew her size already.
This seriously makes me wonder- do Chinese always know their size for pants?? Because from what I've been hearing most buy in the markets or online- both ways you can't try the clothes on before purchasing. However, they can't possibly know their size for every store because when I started my search for pants in Shanghai I tried on pants in, like, six different stores and each fit me differently! And the markets don't have return policies I don't think. I mean, I don't get a receipt. So what do they do when something doesn't fit? Just give it to a friend? I mean seriously, I see many different body shapes here so how can you buy pants without trying them on? I should ask Xiao Hang, Marketus's assistant, what she does because she told me she buys almost all of her clothes online. Perhaps you can return things bought online?
I don't know, all I know is I need pants, and fast.

Doctor Visit

I think I found something about China that I really like much better than America.
When I went to the doctor's office last week it was the second time in less than a week and I was running late. I wasn't sure what to expect- maybe they would send me away? Maybe I would be there for an hour just waiting to see a doctor!
I arrived at 11:15 am, 15 minutes late for my appointment. I sat down and waited for a bit until the doctor came. When in the room, I told him the whole story, even the really stupid part about how I'd actually suffered for a week before going to the doctor because I didn't want to leave Shanghai early. He wanted to take blood to make sure whatever infection had been in me was gone as well as an x-ray to see my stomach. He filled out some paper work and then called over a nurse. He spoke to her in Chinese so I didn't understand what he said. I just followed her down the hall. It turned out to be the x-ray. It all went really quickly- the only weird thing was because it was my stomach and abdomen, I had to lower my pants. I didn't realize until after I thought about it for a bit that whenever I've had an x-ray I've never been in my normal clothes- always a patient dress. Luckily I was wearing my really long sweater so nothing was ever visible but it was kind of weird.
After the x-rays were finished and printed the nurse returned and took me to another room to have blood collected.
I thought she was just going to prick my finger but instead she collected a vial full of blood. After about five to ten minutes the doctor called me back after receiving the results and looked over my x-ray. He gave me some medicine and then I was off.
I looked at my phone. It was 12:15.
All of that done in just an hour.
First of all, I'm fairly certain that I've had to make another appointment to get x-rays done and usually somewhere else. Then they would send the x-rays to my doctor, the doctor would call me and I'd have to go back in and talk about them. And I've had to get blood drawn recently. I have to go to a completely different place and then about a week later my doctor will have the results. If I had been in America the same treatment would have taken a week at least (probably longer) while here it took an hour (and I was even late for my appointment!)
I know China can seem backward in a lot of ways but we really need to emulate them in the speed of their treatment and diagnosis!

Days Missed

So I got called into the office today to talk about how many classes I've missed. I've been physically sick a lot but most of those are excused- it's really the ones that are depression/anxiety related.
I'm writing this because I don't know what the Alliance is going to do with this blog once I'm done or if they're already directing students to our blogs but if they are I don't want anyone to think you can't go abroad if you have issues. I'm on medication for it but it wasn't working very well before I left and we had run out of time to explore more options. That being said, for being away from my friends, my family, my therapist, my entire support system really, I haven't done too bad. I'm not failing any of my classes. I'm just... having a hard time meeting them face-to-face.
At any rate, the semester is half over so I've already survived halfway. I can survive the rest if I use the coping skills I've learned over the years to help me.
What I'm saying is, don't let anything stop you from an opportunity to see another way of living. You never know, you might find things that will be more comfortable for you, that you can bring home with you. The worst thing that can happen is that you fail. I have an intense fear of failure but I know I would be far less likely to live with myself if I had never tried at all than tried and didn't make it all the way.
I've been told my blog posts have been mostly negative and I'm sorry about that because it's not all bad. I won't go home and think this was awful and I wish I'd never done it.
So if you're thinking about doing this, going on an adventure and seeing a different way of life and learning a different way, you should do it. You can't know what's going to happen but I can promise you if you don't you'll miss it. Even though you have no idea what you're missing- you'll still miss it.

Not a Happy Camper

So here's where I am right now. I'm stuck eating noodles with very little flavor (as part of my very bland diet the doctor has put me on), I'm taking 10 pills a day, not including the powder I need to mix with hot water and take three times a day as well. I'm tired all the time, I'm behind in class and my homework, partly because I keep sleeping through my alarm, and I have a twenty page paper due this weekend that I haven't started writing.
I. Am. Not. Happy.

Medicine

So I'm having stomach issues and went to the doctor last night to pick up some medication. I noticed they take a large amount of drugs for a very short amount of time. For instance, I received one drug that I take two tablets of, after meals, three times a day. I also have a drug I'm supposed to take one tablet of, but not at the same time as the first tablet because the first would kill it. I then dissolve a powder in water and drink that three times a day. You would honestly believe I was close to dying if I received that much medication in the United States. And this isn't a special occasion, I received four drugs when I went in with a cold asking for allergy medicine.
Although he gave me so much, I only have enough for three days. That's also similar to when the last doctor only gave me ten days worth of allergy medicine that in the United States I take almost daily year-round. In the United States I would have been given one drug to take for ten days with a warning to eat "bland foods" and drink lots of water (which is what this doctor also instructed).
Just a little observation I made while having my life momentarily revolve around which medicine I'm supposed to take next, and with what.

Hot Pot

So yesterday Elena and I tried going to the art district but it was closed by the time we got there. We did manage to see two exhibits and a whole bunch of cool graffiti though.

Afterward we decided to eat at a hot pot place!

For those of you who don't know what hot pot is, basically you order a bunch of raw ingredients and then cook them in this boiling/simmering metal pot on the table that's full of some flavored stock you would have ordered already. Usually it's one pot to a table but we went to a "mini hotpot" place so Elena and I ordered two different stocks but shared the ingredients.

I cannot describe how good this thing was. My stomach had been bothering me since I got here but this for some reason just made me feel so much better. It was a really nice place but thankfully not overly expensive. 还可以 as my teacher would say. There was a point of worry though because the waitress was going to make me a dressing but I wanted to tell her I was allergic to nuts first. Unfortunately I had no idea how to say that and had to call Marketus and ask him. I think it went well though I'm not sure because she had to give the phone to someone else and then I accidentally hung up on him and couldn't get back in touch with him. The point really is she just didn't make me  a sauce and I never had an allergic reaction.

Shanghai next couple days

From Halloween Party on Friday Night

So I'm ill. again. It's official- China and I don't mix. At least that seems to be what my body is trying to say. Don't worry- no fever, no pain, just bleh. I'm cutting my trip short because of it but it's nothing to worry about. Seriously though- BOTH travel weeks?! Come on Body/China, give me a break!
It's also rainy and gross today so I may go out later to take pictures of "The Bunds" but I'm going to wait a bit. Last thing I want is to get caught in the rain. Maybe I'll finally get my haircut- there's a place two shops down from her apartment that looks promising.
Anyway, last night Elena and I went out and ate at this "Italian" restaurant. I say that but I'm sure the Italians feel the same way about our Olive Garden so I shouldn't be so snobby but... w/e. I had chocolate milk (which they put ice cubes in...) and fries. French fries, by the way, they have down here in China. Have yet to have weird or bad fries. And ketchup- that's fine too. Spaghetti sauce? Not so much. Tastes like ketchup.
I'm still going to stay for Halloween here so I can see the old bunker and watch black-and-white horror/Halloween movies. Then I think Thursday I'll head back. I need to work on my paper and intern stuff anyway (not that I will but, you know, I should).

Shanghai Day 1

Today was my first day really seeing Shanghai. It started out late because we went to a Halloween party the night before and I didn’t get back until just before 5am. So I didn’t really wake up completely until 11. After I found out where Elena, my friend whose apartment I’m staying at, ended up after the party (she stayed with other friends after I left), I went out to take pictures.

I started out just walking down this street that is, like, the main street of Shanghai called Nanjing Road (lu or 路 means road). I have never been stopped so much in my entire time in China as I was in the hour walked down this street. I must have been approached fourteen times by people trying to sell me fake merchandise. I’m slightly surprised they’re there though; the place is lined by stores, legitimate stores, so why would a foreigner be interested in purchasing from a person on the street something fake they can buy in a legitimate store? Anyway, I mainly walked down the street for the architecture.

You really feel like you’re in another China here- like, it’s still China but it’s not at the same time because there’s this very cosmopolitan and international feel. A lot of the architecture is European inspired, in fact, there’s an entire street of just European architecture I plan to take pictures of tomorrow. I saw it tonight when Elena was showing me where the hostel was but I didn’t bring my camera. I had actually been looking for it today but I didn’t bring the map she had so I didn’t know exactly where it was and didn’t want to get lost.

Also, I found that here the people pronounce “shi” words like “si.” I got so confused! I actually thought my lunch would be four kuai but it turned out to be ten. And then, as I was eating, a lady who didn’t speak English sat next to me and started trying to talk to me and kept using “si” instead of “shi.” Luckily, I eventually figured it out and was able to understand her a little. I will say I’m practicing my Chinese here a lot more than I thought I would, which I’m happy about because I don’t think I’m going to go to Nanjing. It’d just be too much of a hassle to get there and then figure out how to get back to Beijing, and cost more money. The hostel here in Beijing is pretty expensive and I already decided I want to stay to Wednesday at least. Elena said for Halloween there’s going to be a screening of black and white horror movies in a former bomb shelter which I think will definitely be interesting.
So my next blog entry might be coming from a hostel. Definitely sounds like it'll be an interesting experience- keep you posted!

Leaving for Shanghai

So I was supposed to have left by now but I got absolutely no sleep last night. My brain would not shut up about the Vampire Diaries episode for some reason.
Anyway, I'm pretty much all packed now and going to take a taxi to the Beijing South Railway Station. I leave at 10am and then arrive about 5 hours later at 3pm. I actually have a friend who's living in Shanghai and she has been kind enough to let me stay with her for the weekend. She's already found a number of Halloween parties for us to go to! I don't have a costume yet but I'm sure Shanghai has something; it's such an international city.
After the weekend I'm not sure what I'm doing. I might stay in Shanghai and look around but I really think I'll go to Nanjing. That way I can use my Chinese and see another historical city.
Alright, now I really need to go. I'll try to post pictures and updates throughout the week!

Observations

Hey, so I thought I'd better post something since I haven't in a really long time.
It's starting to get cold here and it's happening fast and with it have been a few changes. One of which is the doorways. Here in China they leave the doors open because so many people go in and out; however, they also put up these construction type, plastic... blinds to hold in as much air conditioning as possible.

They had them up at my school but now that it's cold out they've put these up.

My guess is to insulate and keep the heat in.
Something I noticed earlier and have been wondering about are the stairs here in China. All over Beijing, especially with older buildings but still with some new ones, the stairs look like this.

I've been wondering why they do this for a while and my best guess is so that, when they were pulling a wheelbarrow or carrying the emperor, they would have some friction and the load wouldn't run them over. I suppose I could Google this but I'm just too lazy. Anyway, these stairs are everywhere, even in the subways.

Unfortunately this is really all I have. I didn't go on the excursion today because the air quality was so bad but, looking at pictures on Facebook, it doesn't look like there would have been too much for me to take pictures of anyway.

I Might Have Messed Up... Again

So I might have messed up. You see a while ago I met this older man who talked about tea and what not and wanted to talk to me about American politics. He said he would help me with my Chinese. He then asked for my phone number and I agreed because I'm an idiot. He said he'd contact me a week from then. Throughout the week I learn he's been talking to other white girls randomly at the cafeteria and so now I'm freaked out. I answered my phone the second time and he didn't speak in English at all! Even after I reminded him my Chinese wasn't good. We spoke in English when we were together so I was worried maybe he wasn't the same person. Anyway, luckily Xiao Hang (spelled her name wrong last time) was there and translated and told him to text me. He did and wanted to meet that day but I couldn't. I haven't responded since because I'm officially freaked out by him.

And then I'm doing my homework and this guy asks me if I can help him with his English. I say NO (!!!) nicely and he says oh well just for today because that seat is better anyway. I say fine. We sit, we talk, his English is terrible. Eventually he asks for my phone number and I say NO (!!) nicely because he's a stranger. He says he understands and I tell him I do my homework there almost every night so he can see me tomorrow. He tells me this story about a South African dude his friend introduced him to who's supposed to help him with his English but he's "not honest" and basically stands him up. Because of this I give him my email but NOT my number. Afterward he walks me to my building.

Let me say he DOES know I have a boyfriend. In fact he asked me and he asked if he was Chinese. When I said "Zai Meiguo" (在美国）or at America he clapped. At the time I thought he was clapping because he was proud of me for having an American boyfriend and not a Chinese one. Now I wonder if he thinks that means I'm game?

Yesterday I was sick and didn't go so he emailed me asking and I explained. Just read his reply and he said I should get more rest and he'll be waiting for me.....

Why do I put myself in these situations....? I don't even know what kind of situation I'm in and I know I don't want to be in it.

Leaving Work

So as I was leaving work I saw the Chinese version of Robert Pattinson. I would have taken a picture for everyone, however, his girlfriend was there and I can't pretend to be the idiot foreigner because it was at my work, which is an English radio station. There are foreigners there to show foreigners aren't crazy. There's even a couple Americans so I couldn't play the Ugly American either. Add to that I work with the girlfriend and it just wasn't happening.
But in case you were wondering, the Chinese version is way hotter. And possibly as tall if not taller.
Some things are better made in China ;)

Like Disney's Epcot but Totally Not

So today my Contemporary China class had a field trip. We went to the ethnic theme park. Yeah, you read that right, the ethnic theme park which was created by the Chinese government to showcase the 56 different ethnicities in China. So he wants us to really have a critical eye here and consider why the government has spent so much money to create this park and what it says about the ethnicities as well as the government.
So we get there and it's like, built into the city. You get off the subway and then you're like "oh, a totem pole."

So we get our tickets and go inside annnnd...

There's no one there... It's just like Epcot where the people are dressed up and walk around (a little) and there's an area for each ethnicity but... there's just no one there. Like, it's the saddest theme park I think I've ever been to. The people really just hang around not doing much and when we walked around it was like we made them have to work. There was one place where it was a replica of a tent or home of a Mongolian and there were two guys inside. I guess they were supposed to be doing something because the second we walked by and looked in one guy get up and started playing his instrument... Adam compared it to a cage... it was seriously their job to stay in there and play or do whatever would replicate "real" Mongolian people even though they're probably Mongolian and don't live in a tent but an apartment and yeah.

We saw maybe a few groups of two or three but nothing that warranted creating this place. Also, many of the places were closed down and locked so we couldn't even get in. There weren't people to let us in or any signs, nothing.

The place wasn't kept up nearly as well as the Forbidden City or any other place that you would visit. Everything was in a bad state and deteriorating.

 

It was an interesting experience. Clearly this place isn't on anyone's priority list and yet it's still here.  

I Lived

So I was just minding my own business when all of a sudden I think I hear a knock on the door. I open the door and it's Rebecca, dressed up. Apparently everyone was going to san li tuan (三里屯) which Wikipedia describes as having a lot of bar streets and international stores and she wanted to know if I wanted to come. So totally I did and she helped me figure out what to wear because I still don't have down what you wear clubbing.. certainly not out of my limited choices here (how did I bring so few clothes??) and we left. They were pre-gaming in Wudaokou at this place called Pyros which has some pretty good pizza actually. I hadn't even sat down yet when Erin goes "Courtney! Tequila shots!" Somehow this turned into Rebecca and I buying our own tequila shots and I taking three instead of two. So we get them and Rebecca says we down the first two and then wait for everyone to get theirs before we drink the third. I gulp the first one and it is totally disgusting... as I expected. However, as the minutes tick by I start to feel worse and worse. Finally I accept I'm going to throw up. So I go to the bathroom and while I'm in there manage to calm myself down and keep myself from actually throwing up. I leave, still feeling totally sick but don't tell anyone because, I mean, I'm freakin' 24. There's a 19 year old who's downed a rum and coke and a couple shots already and he's totally fine. Then there's all the other girls there who are also younger than me, heck everyone is younger than me!
I sit down and Rebecca goes "Hey, you haven't taken your second shot!"
I figure, what the heck, I'll finally be able to throw up and get it over with.
This one I however decide to sip it because I just don't want to have that feeling again. Erin notices and she's like "No no no, you have to open your throat and down it in one swig." How the heck do you open your throat?! I have always wondered about this!! When ever I drink I feel like it hits a wall, how do you open it!?
I actually ask this and Rebecca says "just drink it all at once and then swallow" in a way like, 'it's okay Courtney, you don't have to be a pro."
All the others get their drink and Erin shows me how it's done. She goes really quick, I mean, lick, swig, and lime- five seconds tops! So my turn, I lick, I... something.... and then they're all like "lime! lime!" and I get the lime which does make it better.
The biggest thing I took from this was I must have done the first one wrong because I don't feel like throwing up and I just did two shots in a matter of minutes. That's three shots of tequila in less than 30 minutes.

Do you notice the orange haze? I actually have pictures that are better quality but I liked this one at the time because it was when things started to get loopy.
So I hadn't eaten since 5pm, I missed lunch, and we walked around all day at the Forbidden City. I also am not that great at keeping myself hydrated.
Yeah, I was loopy. I remember my eyes were super huge, like I was trying to keep them open and I just kept looking around. Someone would say something to me and I would suddenly smile and I can only think I looked like George Carlin during one of his last stand up gigs.

So I didn't get talked to too much for a little while. Then we decided to finally go to 三里屯 and begin the gaming. Apparently the subways close around 11:30pm here. I was having a hard time walking and nearly tripped over another street, concrete, thingy and Devin offered to be my walking buddy. Seriously, those things are like just the right height that I don't pay attention to them and they're everywhere! So we get to the subway and find out we probably won't make the transfer. So when we get off we bolt.
Okay, so I don't run. I also have asthma. Running and I really don't get along.
I was freakin Usain Bolt dude. I mean, I was flying. I don't know if I was actually flying but it felt like I was flying. I've never felt so fast and composed in my life. I didn't even feel like dying once we stopped running!
So we miss the transfer and have to take a cab. Actually we have to take a couple cabs because there are too many of us to take just one. We manage to all get there and then we hit the bar streets.

We end up going to this bar that's a rooftop deck that had a pretty nice view. Unfortunately my camera is crap and refused to do it justice. My camera really doesn't handle night pictures well. So we dance at the bar and Rebecca and Devin make some new friends from Africa! Unfortunately  these friends don't really want to leave them alone once they leave the dance floor, in particular Rebecca's friend. This is about the time I sober up.
Eventually Rebecca's "friend" leaves and I ask if this is normal, like, guys not leaving you alone and she goes "basically." Yeah, I wanted my boyfriend to dance with really, really bad. I constantly worried about the guys around me who just kinda stood there or would sway behind you and like, I don't know. I felt like they were getting pleasure out of fantasizing that they were dancing with a girl. I was semi okay with these guys though because they didn't talk to me and I figured that was because they were afraid if I noticed I would move. I felt they were easier to deal with than Rebecca's "friend."
So after her "friend" left we try to gather everyone up and hurry out of there but two wanted to stay behind so Nick stayed with them. We all went to this club with lots of lights and heart-pounding bass. That was pretty cool but we soon tired of that (and were thirsty) so we left.
Then they all started pretending they were Spanish and talking in Spanish much to the amusement of this Spanish dude nearby. I have no idea what they were talking about because I took French and apparently no one else did. That is the one thing that sucks about French; I can't really practice it at random whereas it's like everyone took Spanish at some point.
Anyway we get some drinks, Adam gets a chicken, and we decide to head out. They were talking about hitting another club in Wudaokou but by the time we got back everyone was tired so we all hit the hay.
And thus I lived :)

Forbidden City

Dude, I was really excited about going here. I even made sure to charge my camera in advance! And then what do I do? I leave the memory card in the computer. Not my finest moment.
Actually I didn't really find many moments where I really wished I had my camera. All the courtyards looked the same and all the buildings looked the same. We could see inside three buildings and see three different thrones. That's it. However, I did have a moment of excitement when I recognized one of the thrones as the one from the movie "The Last Emperor" (which is an awesome movie by the way. And in English). We also found a shop that was really cheap and I bought a couple things. Not going to say what because I know one of them is going to be a gift and the other is undecided.
Anyway, here's a picture of a lion/dragon turtle that I stole from someone's album:

Next Saturday is the Summer Palace!

Banana Rupture and English Speech

First of all, I came back to my bananas ruptured. Like, literally, one opened up and leaked... banana juice (??) on my desk. Luckily nothing was seriously damaged and I cleaned it up and threw them out. The thing is I just bought those bananas two days ago!
Anyway, the story I wanted to really tell is about my lunch today. A while ago I was sitting at lunch by myself when this Chinese girl came over and asked if she could practice her English with me. I said sure and we talked for a bit and then she returned to her friends. I wasn't sure I'd see her again but I ran into her while leaving the cafeteria. We exchanged numbers and I found out her English name is Jasmine. So I again saw her on Wednesday and she invited me to sit with her so I did. She said she needed to ask me a favor. She was participating in an English speaking competition and she wanted me to look over her speech and make sure it was "proper." I said of course and we agreed to meet Thursday afternoon. I had forgotten I had my make up test so we switched it to today.
The topic was "a word that changes the world" and she picked laziness! Her explanation was that laziness is the reason we create things, like cotton mills, and washing machines, and cars, and so forth. It was actually pretty cute. There were a couple sentences that needed tweaking but overall it was really good. I thought it would be though because her English is pretty good already. We got on the topic of TV shows and I found out she watches Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, Vampire Diaries and some other ones. After I finished and said it looked good she said "Oh, I have something for you" and gave me a postcard as gratitude for helping her!

I totally wasn't expecting that! I could tell she was surprised I was so thankful because she was like, "oh, I bought it over there at the ice cream." I just found it such a sweet gesture. Anyway, we talked a bit longer and then we both returned to our dorms. She's part of this association that creates events for students and so she told me she'd let me know what was coming up.
She's so sweet. I'll give her one of my Chicago key chains before I leave.

Oh No!

I'm at 666 page views! Must change the number! I know, I'll post an adorable picture of the campus cat!

OMG

Not having a VPN is the absolute worst thing over a break from school and no one is around. I swear, I didn't realize how much time I waste on facebook and youtube and here. I haven't gotten my original VPN due to Astrill being... uncooperative. I finally caved and got another one since my mom informed me I didn't read the email completely and I won't have it back for another week. I have friends getting married this weekend in the states (my boyfriend is the best man) and there is no way I am missing photos of their wedding. It says I have a 30 day return policy so let's see how this goes. All I really care about is that I can now see the pictures whenever they're posted.

So what have I been doing? Well, since Wednesday (in China, which means Tuesday in the States) I've been trying not to lose my mind because of course that's just when I started to feel better. I did go out have lunch, try some new dishes, but nothing too far out of my comfort zone. I've basically been trying to find this dish I first had at EastWheat in Datong (大同) that was a pork sliced noodle dish (刀削面 - sliced noodles). Apparently, EastWheat is only in Datong which sucks because Beijing is really no where near Datong and I really want their food. The place I went to near me has something similar but it's not as good and more expensive. The dining hall doesn't have it either, at least not like how I'd like it. They also had something similar but the restaurant still has the closest.

Anyway, I haven't been into work but I did finish my report on the interview I did. I haven't heard back on what the producers think of it and don't expect to. This is the holiday week now so I may hear something when I go in on Tuesday but I don't know if they'll be there. We'll see.

Yeah, nothing is really going on- the others aren't back yet but return tomorrow night. Theo posted one picture when they first arrived but I don't think he's posted anything since and neither has anyone else. Not that I would really know, not having Facebook for a week and all. It'll be nice to hear how it went and see pictures.

And now that I have my VPN settled and ready for the wedding, I'm going to bed!

Qing Hai

You know how I said feeling the way I am I didn't want to go? Yeah, I just watched the van leave without me and I feel so left out :(
Erin just texted me: "Hope you feel better, we'll miss you this week!!"
Man.... This was the week everyone was going to become really close- you know that's what is going to happen. And I'm already fairly isolated in my own room- this is going to make everything so much worse :(
Oh, well. What can you do? I keep telling myself that I came here to learn Chinese whenever I feel lonely. Well, I'll just have to take this time to really learn it. The thing is, I'm fairly certain they're going somewhere very few people speak English which means they're Chinese skills will be tested and they'll improve.
Ok, I can't think like that- onward, Courtney, onward!

Laundry

A few days ago I did laundry for the first time!
So it wasn't as big of an adventure as I thought it might be. I had to buy these coins from the convenience store in our building which was four kuai per coin(!!) and some laundry detergent. Marketus had said we should buy liquid detergent but all they had at the convenience store was powder and it was too late to walk to the supermarket. Anyway, so I bought two coins and went back to my floor.
So I can read next to no Chinese and this is what I'm confronted by:

 Thankfully, Devin walked out of her dorm and I knew she was familiar with the washer. She told me to just turn it on, put a coin in, and press the "start" button. So that's exactly what I did- I manged to press the correct button to turn it on, out a coin in, and found the start button. Just as I was walking back to my dorm I realized I had forgotten to put in the detergent I was still carrying in my hand. Luckily I was able to put some in. I don't think I put in enough however because my pants still smelled like smoke after the wash.
There's supposed to be a dryer around her somewhere but I just decided to lay out my clothes to dry in the window since it was sunny out and there is the ledge and, of course, it's free. I'll have to check to see if my pants still wreak of cigarette smoke once they're dry.

Once Dry:
So I now understand the importance of fabric softener... my clothes are really stiff and certainly don't feel soft... question is.... where am I going to find it in China and how do I use it?!

I feel like crap

I'm sick. I'm pretty sure it's just a cold but I don't have Campbell's chicken noodle soup nor my mommy so it sucks pretty bad.
The sore throat started Tuesday night so I got some herbal tea to drink while I did my homework. Then Wednesday I felt pretty bad and my voice was pretty soft so I called in sick to work and class. By the end of the night I was feeling worse but I had been drinking water all day, staying inside, and even resting my voice.
This morning I sleep through my alarm and through my Chinese class (receiving a text from my teacher about it). I then tried talking and my voice was not only soft but going in and out. So I text Marketus looking for advice on what to do.
Normally I would have just said "hey I don't feel well but I think it's just a cold;" however, tomorrow my group is supposed to go to Qing Hai. I don't know exactly where it is but it's at a higher altitude which means breathing is going to be difficult which means a girl with asthma and a cold has something to worry about. He made a doctor appointment in the city for me and asked Xiao Zhang (I think I have her name right) to escort me.
I just got back and basically he said it was a cold and just to rest. That's when I brought up Qing Hai and how they want to know if I can go and what not. He goes "Do you have to?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Then you shouldn't. If something happens it will be very difficult for you to receive medical treatment."
He was Chinese but his English was good. He wrote a note explaining my situation and even told Xiao Zhang.
Honestly? Right now I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay in my dorm and rest. Last week though I was definitely looking forward to the trip! I mean, it seemed like we were going to be really roughing it (he gave us sleeping bags!) and experience "real China." The only thing that worried me was the high altitude (mostly because Marketus was making such a big deal about it). But on top of experiencing "real China" this might be the only vacation I get to take! We have a week of independent travel but I'm pretty sure I can't afford to go anywhere which means this would have been my one chance to get out of Beijing.
Marketus said to tell him how I'm feeling before class tomorrow and we'll go from there.

Highlight of the Day

In Chinese class today we talked about the Spring Festival and the Mid-Autumn Day Festival in China. I compared the Mid-Autumn Day festival to Thanksgiving and so my teacher (我的老师) told us the Chinese word for turkey.
It's "huo ji" 火鸡
That translates to "fire chicken."

First Interview

Today was my first interview ever and I think it went really well! The person I interviewed is named Robert and he a Brit. He went to Cambridge and studied abroad in Beijing at 北大 for a year and is now back getting his master's. We met at my subway station and had a drink at the Bridge cafe nearby (Marketus said that's where the great breakfast is so I'm glad I finally know where it is). We talked for a little bit and then I started the interview.
I was super nervous and fumbled around with my questions but he did really well despite that! I feel like there's enough there for my Ning Qing (my boss) to be able to do something with it but it's really up to her. I still don't know what she's doing with it- all she told me was that she needed a British student and she wanted to know about any hardships encountered, why he/she was in China, and overall experiences and thoughts on China. I told him I'd email him once I knew what it was being used for and when it would air.
He gave me his business card which I'm beginning to realize is a very big deal here. Everyone has business cards- even students! Jules, a lady at my internship, actually has a case that reminds me of my old CD cases that just for business cards.
I also learned that college is cheaper in the U.K. than it is in the U.S. I had heard that somewhere but Robert kind of confirmed it when I told him how much college in Georgia cost and he said that was pretty costly. College in Georgia! Anytime I tell someone in Chicago how much college costs in Georgia they're like "Oh my god- college is so cheap there!" I think I'm going to get my master's in the U.K. Just saying.
He also said that Wudaokou or 五道口 (which is where I live) used to have even more people! Plus, by the train station there's a mall and a small stores all along the street. According to Robert, two years ago when he lived around here the whole street was a market with tons of people! I can't imagine there being even more people here! As it is at 11pm it's like 6 there's so many people out!

Clubbing

I would title this "clubbing in China" but I have no idea what clubbing in America is like since this was my first time clubbing ever.
Yes, ever and I'm twenty-four years old. I lead a boring life, I know.
So the club was interesting- got stamped, just like an American bar and the first floor had some tables and a bar but the basement was all people and it was packed. I mean, it was a perfect visual of the ridiculous amount of people there are in China. Anyway, I ended up leading the roundabout way to the dance floor and ended up kind of on my own. Not so great. Random creepy dude is giving me this "you wanna?" smile and not seeming to take the hint I wasn't interested. I told him no and he asked why. I said I had a boyfriend (which I almost said in Chinese but he was black so thankfully I caught myself). He said where and I said America. Like that would matter, if the girl tells you she has a boyfriend then obviously to her it doesn't matter where he is. Anyway I found the group and while I danced with them I wasn't bothered again.
I've decided bars are more for drinking and socializing. You get a beer and sit there and chat it up with friends. Clubs are more about shots and dancing. I actually had a tequila shot and found it absolutely disgusting. I've never understood the fondness of alcohol- the stuff tastes gross and enough of it makes me feel like I have a head cold. But I loved the dancing- I could definitely do that every weekend. Seriously I think I would dance off all the oreos I'm eating. I seriously need to stop eating oreos- I'm never going to lose weight eating the way I am, no matter how often I walk or dance.
After a couple hours of dancing my feet felt like they would explode. So I decided to leave and as I was walking out suddenly the smell pee surrounded me. Someone had decided to pee in the club. I then saw an employee trying to, I think, brush up the pee? I have no idea. At any rate it was nice to see someone cleaning it up. This is China where it's totally acceptable for people to pee in the street in public.

The Mall

If you think this entry is going to be about anything other than the mall you are sadly mistaken.
Today after going to the Lama Temple I decided I had waited long enough and really needed to buy clothes. For my language practicum I had to stop people on the street and interview them about their shopping and found out most people buy their clothes at the mall. So! I went to the mall which thankfully has elevators that go both up and down because there's, I think, five floors. I walked in and immediately see a store that looks promising. A Chinese girl gives me the run-down, very similar to how it is in the U.S. At least, I think so. I couldn't understand her so I just said "Nihao!" (你好). Anyway, she follows me around the entire store way too closely. She was so close it made me wonder if she thought I was going to steal something. It became so uncomfortable that I left quickly. I went right next door to once again be followed like a shadow. This continued in every store I entered- I don't believe they did it for every customer either. I think I got special treatment. Anyway, I finally found a dress that wasn't expensive and asked "我试试吗？" (or 'wo shi shi ma' which means 'can I try on?') She said yes and so I entered the fitting room.
There's no mirror.
Why on earth would someone want to try something on and not see themselves in the outfit. I had to step outside to check myself out and didn't like how I looked so I put it back and left. Granted that was a small store that really wasn't a store at all but a section dedicated to a particular brand so I thought when I tried something on in an actual store the experience may be different.
Nope.
At this time I remembered someone saying that China was trying to make it's economy based on services. It's almost like they purposely don't put mirrors in the rooms so you have to come out and  show the person helping you. I started to think these people were paid by commission the way this one girl clung to me and followed me around.
This isn't the only thing I noticed. I also noticed that Chinese clothes are weird.
Like, the style is just weird. Or rather, very different from the U.S. I honestly can't out my finger on exactly how though. Sometimes it was the shape, other times the color choice, another had feathers pinned to the shoulder. And they seriously have a thing about shoulders. You might remember that video of Miley Cyrus singing I don't remember but everyone said she was trying to be like Lady Gaga with these shoulder pad things? They aren't shoulder pads but they poof them out. It's like they think they don't have shoulders and need to exaggerate them. At the end of the day I just gave up and went to Espirit but their clothes were just too expensive. I went to all of the stores on four floors and I didn't find anything that was what I liked or if it was too expensive.
I finally just gave up and went back to the dorm.

Work Day

Let me begin by saying I've noticed China has more escalators going up than down. Or actually no, that's not right- basically if there's an escalator going up or down there isn't a guarantee that there's an escalator going the opposite way. For some reason they like make one group of people walk stairs.... I can't even figure out the reasoning behind choosing up or down for a particular escalator. It's not like Union Station where the escalators change because there's a greater influx at a particular time going up rather than down. I don't get it.
I noticed this during my commute this afternoon to the radio station. Today I was shown how to use the recorder and the audio editing software they use because they want me to edit my own stuff. Afterward He Fei showed me to my desk and showed me how to look up all the old brain quizzes so I would know what's already been done as well as know the types of questions they like. He Fei, who I found out is sometimes a producer of the show, wants the questions to be related to China which I agreed with so it looks like in the future I'll be coming up with the brain quiz questions! I also noticed today that because everyone is listening and editing that it's a very quiet environment and there isn't a lot of interaction which is funny because when you think of talk show radio it's all about the interaction between the anchors and the listeners.
Anyway, I basically just read all the previous "brain drain" quizzes as well as emailed some people to ask if they would be interested in being interviewed. I already have an assignment and although she said there was no rush I'm thinking "what else am I going to do?" So I told her I would try to get them to her by Tuesday- that gives me over four days to ask a bunch of people a bunch of random questions. Actually this time it's only two random questions but with the brain quizzes there will be more.
Afterward there was the meeting and everyone agreed today's show went well and then Ning Jing asked me what I thought of the show. To be honest I really like the show except that it feels pieced together or without any flow. I didn't realize it at the time but I think that's because I'm comparing it to our morning radio shows where it's almost all conversation. The anchors will have some topics to discuss and have listeners call in but mostly the conversation can go wherever it wants for about half an hour and with this show they have a lot jammed in three hours. I think the show seems almost rushed trying to fit everything in there. I mentioned my concern reluctantly and even apologized afterward because, I mean, it's my second day. I talked to Jules afterward and she said it was fine ("She asked you!") and Josh said it was "good feedback" and that it "always helps to have a new set of ears." After that it was time to leave and I rode the subway with a Chinese girl who goes by Sabrina. Her English is really good and she actually went to the U.S. this summer to get married and travel for a month. We talked a little bit- mostly stating our observations about the other's homeland.
When I got back I needed cash so I went to the ATM and this Chinese girl was waiting in line and started talking to me. She's just gotten back from England after studying there for a year so she didn't think my four months was very long.
Now see, I knew this would happen. The only Chinese friends I'm going to make will speak English because that's all I can speak! Add to that everyone at my job speaks English and I'm never going to learn Chinese.
I passed this as I was walking back to the dorm and decided I should end with it. I've been hearing about this for a little while but it seems to be really picking up steam in China and getting a lot of attention. I feel sorry for the Japanese citizens here because they could be in trouble if they're found out depending on the person. Anyway, I don't see this one going away anytime soon.

First Day at Internship

I was so nervous even though I knew I would just be learning how to use a recorder.
When I arrived He Fei came down to let me in (I navigated the subways all on my own). I asked her how her weekend was and she said she had an accident! She fell down hard and was out Monday resting. I showed her my shoulder which is pretty much all better by the way-

and told her I tripped over a traffic barrier and then she goes "Me too!"
I think we're going to get along.
Anyway, so we go in and I actually meet another American on the elevator who doesn't work for China Now (which is the program I'm interning for). He was a big guy and his name was Johnny. The studio is actually visible the second you get off the elevator. I recognized the man as the person who was in there when I visited on Friday but there was a different woman in there. They had already started so I had to wait until they played a song to meet them. Hefei had been called into the workroom so another person introduced me to Alex (the guy who was broadcasting) and Man Ling (the woman broadcasting). They're the usual anchors. I was really lucky- He Fei told me I was just going to listen to the broadcast today and then Wednesday (tomorrow) I would learn how to use the recorder. So Alex handed me some headphones and I sat down to listen.
Alex is from the UK and definitely has the accent. If you watch Robin Hood, Disney's animated version, and watch the scenes where Robin Hood is pretending to be a stork then you'll hear his exact accent. He used to act but fell for radio. He even did television for a while but decided radio was his thing. Man Ling, I found out, used to be an English teacher- the first generation of teachers to teach English instead of Russian- and made a point to teach in English, not Chinese. She said she wrote an article against the "Silent English" teaching which basically means teaching children how to read but not speak. I had already decided I was going to write about the study of English in China and how few can speak it so it's amazing that I get to work with her (sort of.. she'll be broadcasting while I work).
Of the two I instantly fell for Man Ling. She has the soothing nature of a patient teacher to counteract Alex's brash, animated personality. There's another guy, the only other man working with the program, Josh, and both of them seem to be very experienced when it comes to broadcasting and so the developing staff they're working with seems to irritate them a bit. Jules and Mila are the other foreigners (外国人 or wai guo ren) in group and the rest are Chinese women. This is of course my first meeting with them so I'm sure my opinion of everyone and the program will change over time but I really think I'm going to enjoy working here.

Make Friends

So at 4pm I met with my language partner or 语伴 (yu ban or to Beijing locals pronounced yu bar) which isn't normal. Normally we meet at 7pm but there's a performance celebrating the 50 year anniversary and she wanted to go. We spent our usual hour previewing the lesson I'm learning tomorrow and then afterward I went to the 4th floor to write the characters or 汉字 (han zi) and do homework (作业 or zuo ye). I get up there and get out my little booklet and start writing the characters for Chocolate Chip Frappe. I figured I'd go back to my dorm and check them on my computer and be able to say it later but today I would show it to the cashier so he knew what I wanted (I found out last week this cashier can't understand English). As I was writing a guy who worked there approached me and asked me what I was doing. I forgot the people there were really protective of their menu and so I explained quickly (because he spoke English) that I was writing it down so I could learn it. He offered to write the characters and even wrote the pinyin for me!
巧克力豆冰乐 - qiao ke li dou bing le. If I translate literally it means chocolate (巧克力) bean (豆) ice (冰) happy (乐)
and it did make me happy

It actually tasted almost exactly like the Starbucks double chocolatey chip frappecino but not as many chocolate chips.
Anyway, so I was there about 2 hours and finally finished my work. I actually talked to Theo who reminded me I still had an essay to do (Doh!) and I left planning on getting some bao zi (包子）to take with me back to my dorm at the cafeteria below. At the elevator however I met a guy. I was trying to decide whether or not I wanted to wait or just walk down the stairs and he seemed to think I was confused or something. Anyway, I managed to understand he was asking me if I was studying Chinese which I confirmed. He then kept talking to me in Chinese and I could just barely understand (I think) that he wanted to practice English with me and then help me with my Chinese. I told him I had a 语伴 but he just kept asking "可以吗?" (literally "may/can?") so I finally just said "可以." When we got outside he kept talking and trying to ask me things and finally  I got him to understand that I needed him to speak slower. He tried but he was still using words I didn't understand. He started typing on his phone and I thought I'd figured out he wanted to discuss a time when Rebecca, Kate, Erin, and Devin showed up! I immediately asked for their help because I had no real clue what he wanted. They did the best they could but for a second it sounded like he wanted to "rest with me" and Erin was like "nope! bu hui! (不会 or can't)" and I just said what is practically my tagline now
对不起，我的中文不好。(sorry, my Chinese isn't good)
and left with them. Then they started asking me "Who was that? So he was just some random guy? Why were you talking to him?"
And I said "Well, they said we need to make friends!"
And they all were like "Not with random guys!"
Yeah, it probably wouldn't have been a good idea. If he could have spoken any English he would have done it much sooner and I don't understand enough Chinese to understand what English he wanted and he clearly didn't know how to talk to someone who barely understands the language.
Still, they said make friends.
Can't say I'm not trying, man.

Something Wrong

So I took a nap. I know I shouldn't have but I did. The point is I woke up and couldn't see. It was similar to when I leave my contacts in and they're hard- I have to blink a number of times to get them right again but today I'm not wearing contacts.
I woke up hearing my phone vibrating. I took off the sleeping mask (which I've been wearing lately so that I can sleep in) and I couldn't see which at first I expected but then as I rummaged through my purse and picked up the phone I realized I couldn't read the name of the person- even when I held it super close and held it back- I couldn't see anything. I thought maybe there was a film over my eyes so I rubbed them but that didn't help so then I used lubricating eye drops but that didn't seem to help- not at first anyway. I went into the bathroom to look at them and I had to be centimeters from the mirror just to see my eyes semi-clearly. I was pretty certain one pupil was bigger than the other.
This is not the first time this has happened. I even mentioned it to my eye doctor and he said there wasn't enough of a difference to worry about.
I got my camera and started taking pictures but unfortunately I can't see anything abnormal but that could be because they didn't turn out very well.

It's gotten better but I still can't see as well as I think I normally do.
I suppose I should mention that a week before I left I saw my eye doctor because my eyes were bothering me. He looked at them and said I was wearing my contacts too often and had infected my lids. So I was told not to wear contacts for a month and put in these drops everyday.
Well after my fall I started wearing my contacts again because they were scratched up. I'm also not always putting in the medication anymore but could that seriously be it?
That isn't the time I mentioned it to my eye doctor either- I mentioned it about four months earlier when I was getting my glasses and that's when he checked and said he couldn't see anything.
I have no idea what to do- I mean, maybe this won't happen again? Because I really don't want to go to a Chinese doctor.
Man, this would happen while I'm in China.

Loooooong Day

Oh my god, my feet are killing me.
So today I had my first Chinese quiz. The highlight was that our teacher spelled four "fore." Other than that it was a lengthy, god-awful test. We had two hours and I finished with 3 minutes to spare. It wasn't hard really (although my grade may say otherwise once I get my test back) it was just really long and had a lot of writing. I definitely need to freshen up on my Chinese and study more.
Especially since today I got my internship! My interview was at 3pm and it took us an hour by subway to get there. I was wearing heels and a jacket to look professional but (thankfully) was overdressed. We talked a little bit about what I'm going to do but we decided to discuss this more in  detail on Tuesday. It looks like I'm going to interview people in English and perhaps record my experiences travelling to tourist places? I'm not entirely sure. Again, we're going to discuss it on Tuesday. Marketus said I did well so that's good! When I got back I was so hungry I went straight to the cafeteria which sucked only because it meant more walking.
I have my abstract due for my 20 page paper due Monday and I'm pretty sure I'm going to write something about the study of English here in China. It just amazes me how these people can be forced to study English at a young age and yet they can't speak it at all! I'm a little worried however because the paper is due in a month which means writing 5 pages a week.
Also my shoulder is finally healing so I don't need to go back to the hospital. I think I'd want to just to talk to the doctor and converse with Chinese people but it's 12 kuai and I need every penny I can get- especially if I want to go somewhere during my independent travel week!

Study Session

Let's see, so much happened today (I know! That never happens!) So today we reviewed in class for our first test tomorrow. It doesn't sound too bad but at the same time I'm still worried. Afterward I went to the dining hall for lunch and got bao zi again. I would eat something else but this I know will be warm whereas everything else is cold by the time I get it. And cold broccoli just isn't good. Afterward I watched Snow White and the Huntsman which was pretty good. They definitely didn't explain well enough why Snow White was the key. I get that she was the fairest but like... it seemed like her mom performed the same spell as the Queen's mother did without realizing it. And then the huntsman is her true love? I read a review that said after the fairyland thing happened the movie just didn't make as much sense anymore and I totally agree.
Anyway, afterward I had to meet with my language partner at the dining hall so I went there to eat beforehand. It was just starting to rain when I left and, of course, I didn't pack my umbrella. One more thing I have to buy here. We ended up going over the words mostly because I knew I struggled with that far more than the grammar. I didn't find it incredibly helpful- especially since she speaks English most of the time. I really need to perfect my Chinese so she won't feel the need to do that.
An hour later I was walking back to the dorms when I walked past Adam, Theo, and Theo's girlfriend Vicky. They invited me to join them and study and I figured I might as well study more. Besides, both Theo and Adam are in my class so basically our entire class would be studying together. We went to the 4th floor of the dining hall which has this awesome cafe that has expensive but awesome food. I ended up getting a caramel frappe.

It wasn't my custom Starbucks frappe with more caramel than coffee but still really good. Especially for China considering my Chinese teacher didn't even know what a frappe was. It was super expensive though- more than $5 and it's not even a big brand. Ironically the food costs about the same so I'll just get that now whenever I go there. Anyway, Theo's girlfriend is Chinese so she read off the words for us and then corrected us. That was actually super helpful and it was nice to study with others. Adam (who's in the picture) actually came up with a story about one word that has now made it possible for me to remember how to write it! Hopefully we'll make studying together a common thing because I feel like we're all going to do better now on the test.
So tomorrow is the test but I might also have an interview for that radio internship! They said I could perform English interviews instead and work my way up to interviews in Chinese so hopefully that will workout. I also have an abstract due for my internship paper which I am worried about. I basically have one month to write 20 pages. That's 5 pages a week which doesn't sound bad except that I have to find all of the research as well! Also, this Saturday a trip to the hutongs (which apparently means alleys) of Beijing is scheduled and Theo said there's a place I could buy clothes at nearby so that should be fun on multiple levels. Basically things are starting to pick up and get busy and I really need to stay on track.

School Clinic/Hospital Part 2

So today I was supposed to go to the school hospital to have my bandage changed but first I had a lunch on the Alliance with a woman who is going to recruit students back in the states. We ate on the 5th floor of the dining hall which was great! The higher you go in the dining hall, the more expensive the meal becomes and the 5th floor is the highest. It was really good! Marketus joined myself, Cheyenne, and Andrew because we were supposed to have another person but whoever it was forgot. At first we stayed on topic and talked about our experiences in China, what we thought students coming should know, and what we thought of the program. Eventually we got off topic and at the very end she asked Marketus something that was very interesting. Apparently, right after our first vacation with our group we're going to be expected to speak mostly Chinese. I suppose I should have seen this coming but since we rarely see Marketus I'm not sure how they can enforce this. We're already expected to speak on Chinese in our Chinese classes and our Contemporary Chinese class has an English instructor so I'm pretty sure we'll be speaking English in there. It will be interesting to see what happens. Not that I really mind speaking Chinese it's just it takes me a long time to come up with how to answer some questions and so sometimes, if the other person speaks English, it's just easier for them if they speak English.
This kind of leads me to my experience at the hospital. So I had to go to the ATM to get money first, just in case they had me pay, and then went straight to the cashier's, showing my receipt. I've become a little braver now and not so afraid of saying something wrong. Now I just give it my best shot. So I went over and said "医生告诉你也来这儿” [doctor told me again come here]
The lady starts talking to me in very quick Chinese (why on Earth they speak so fast to a foreigner is beyond me) to which I reply my Chinese isn't good and repeat what I said before.
She keeps asking me something and I figure I'll show her my shoulder. When I do it becomes clear to me she was asking what was wrong with me as she tells me it's going to be 3 kuai again.
I head upstairs and the same doctor is there. There's a little bit of a wait and everyone looks at me at first but when I catch their eyes they go back to the business. While waiting I notice a man go in and he takes out an x-ray that he and the doctor study. I started wondering if he had just gotten that x-ray done, I mean, it's been a while, but I'm sure it took a couple weeks for my doctor to schedule the x-ray and then me have the x-ray done and then go back to the doctor to talk about it. I ponder this a bit as I realize he's not a student. Neither is the old man who goes in after him, nor the lady who seems to have pulled a muscle in her leg. So I guess it's not much of a school clinic really. I guess it's like Emory Hospital in GA? Don't they have a hospital that regular people go to? Anyway, I go in and he prints the receipt thing for me to take back down to the cashier. I do and then go back up to wait. While up there I notice the woman with the bad leg return with a bag. She pulls something out of it and it's an x-ray! She freakin' just had her leg x-rayed! I have to say that is some quick service that I would certainly appreciate if I had a bad leg. Certainly would have liked it when I was a sophomore in high school suffering from the worst hip pain ever that was apparently caused by Mono.
I finally go in and he takes me in the dressing room again but this time the nurse isn't around. He fixes my wound and tries to talk to me in Chinese. Once again he speaks way too fast (seriously, it doesn't occur to anyone to try speaking slower) and then attempts to speak in English. Eventually I get out that his son wants to go to the states for his bachelor degree and he wants to know what college I recommend. Luckily someone comes so I have time to think of a college. I don't think foreigners realize how many colleges there are in the U.S. I eventually say Northwestern since they have the linguistics program I was interested in getting my masters in. Plus I figure that means they have a good language program and can help his son with his English.
He then asks me about "Creem." He stumbles over his words, clearly not very comfortable and I get "Creem..somewhere..."
"Cream?"
I'm thinking maybe I need something for my shoulder and he's wondering if I know a place I can get it from but then I ask "美国？” [America?]
"Yes, yes."
Now I'm thinking he means something like ice cream for his son.... Actually, I don't have a clue what he's trying to ask me so I say "吃？ [to eat?]  or-" and point to my shoulder.
"Nooo! No no. Creem." and he spells it for me and I repeat it out loud to get the image of the word in my brain.
"C-R-I-M-E."
I slap my hand over my mouth "Ohhhhhh!!!! No no! 不多！" [not much]
Of course he wants to know if there's crime near the school where he might be sending his son! Duh, Courtney.
He explained that he practices English with a lot of reading but he seldom has the opportunity to speak.
I go back next Monday :)

First Meeting

Today was my first meeting with my language partner. We basically just reviewed stuff. The only reason I'm mentioning this is because we met with the same couple that we ate lunch with when we first met and they sat near us. While she and I were staying with the book and we were going over what I had learned the other couple was just talking. They had a paper that they would sometimes write things on but mostly they just talked. God, I can't wait until I can do that.
In other news, my aunt is disputing a payment. Unfortunately this payment was for my VPN and so my account has been suspended and I don't have Facebook. Hopefully she fixes this soon because I don't know how long I can last without Facebook. I mean, I know I lasted a month last year but I (meaning Aunt Joy is taking an advance for work I will do eventually) paid for this!

School Clinic/Hospital

So I really needed bandages for my shoulder. I had borrowed from Cheyenne twice and I really didn't want to anymore. So yesterday I went to the grocery store to discover they don't sell first aid stuff at the grocery store. So as I was walking back I met up with them and asked them if they had any idea where I could get some. Dillon suggests the hospital, which has a pharmacy, which is also like... a two minute walk. I had actually passed it in order to get to the grocery store.
So I walk up and I can see why I passed it so many times. It looks nothing like a western hospital. There's no place for the ambulance to park, there's no ramp for a wheelchair, there's no ginormous cross to advertise that this building is, in fact, a hospital. In little tiny words on the doors it says "BLCU Hospital."
I go inside and it's closed. I mean, it is Sunday but the whole thing looks shut down. The pharmacy is on the first floor, right when you walk in, so I look through the windows trying to see if I can see if they even carry bandages. I decide to come back Monday after Chinese class (aka, today).
So I go in after class and the place is bustling so I go over to the pharmacy and (very badly) ask if they have bandages- pointing to the bandage I have and also taking it off to show them the wound. They direct me across the hall/other side of building to the cashiers. I manage to make out she wants to know where I'm a student and thank god I have my student ID booklet on me. I giver her that and show her my wound and say I want bandages which she cuts off with an "I know, I know" sorta reply. She gives me this slip of paper and keeps saying three something. I figure she's saying I'm a third year student so I'm like "Dui (correct)" even though I'm not. I'm just trying to move the process along. Luckily, there's a Chinese student waiting behind me who speaks some English and informs me I have to pay 3 kuai (dollars). So I pay it and the cashier instructs me to do something, what I don't have a clue. She's speaking too fast for me to even grab a word. I say I don't understand and she sighs in that way that says she doesn't have time for me and my lack of language skills. The student translates and says I'm being sent to surgery (?!?) which is on the second floor.
Surgery!? Are you serious?!
I go upstairs anyway and think "Well, they do have to bandage stuff up there so... maybe they're going to give me the bandages I already paid for." There are two rooms labelled "surgery" that appear to be consultation offices. I go into one where the man directs me to sit as he looks at the slip and asks for my Chinese name. I tell him and show him the wound and point to it which makes him nod a lot. He then gives me another piece of paper and directs me to the first floor.
So now I'm thinking "of course! They wanted me to get a prescription... go figure." I wait in line at the pharmacy (which by the way, "line" is a foreign concept here) and actually ram my paper in front of an old lady because I was there before her. He directs me across the hall/other side of building again to the cashiers! So I walk over there and hand them my slip of paper, totally confused and inform me I now owe 12 kuai! I pay the money and she stamps my paper which reads "Outpatient Invoice" and returns it. I go over to the pharmacy and the guy sees me and yells at me to go to the second floor again.
This is when I call Marketus.
I tell him everything I've done and he tells me to go where they first sent me. So I wait in front of the surgery room until I see the doctor again and hand him my invoice. He calls me in and I follow him to a little patient room. The nurse instructs me to sit in a chair and I wait. In my head I'm thinking "all I want are some freakin' bandages" but I was starting to wonder whether or not I was bandaging this thing properly anyway so it might be good to have it looked over. The nurse comes back after, I think, chatting with another patient/friend/whatever and starts to dress my wound. She puts on a mask and puts about four different types of stuff on it. None burn nearly as bad as the alcohol swabs Cheyenne used when we first bandaged it which surprises me. Then she puts this cloth that's been marinating (that's the best way I can describe it) in this yellow liquid and sets it on top of the part of the wound that hasn't scabbed over yet. As she's doing this the doctor comes in and asks in broken English what happened.
I say "I fell" and make the motion as best as I can while sitting down.
"bicycle? orr-"
I cut him off and say "No, just walking"
"Walk?" He's clearly stunned as seems to be the nurse as she applies stuff to my face as well. "Where?"
At first, I think he's asking where it happened and then I realize he's asking my nationality. "Mei Guo (America)."
The nurse says something and he laughs a little. He sees me watching and says "She thinks you look [totally expecting him to say French] Russian."
"Ohhh? Really??" Russia's close to Poland and Lithuania... certainly closer than France which is what I usually get.
They talk a little more and she says "Ok!"
I have a nice clean bandage on my shoulder with that bit of yellow whatever showing through. I have real gauze tape instead of the band aids I was using before. My shoulder doesn't hurt when I move it now which makes me think this time I won't pull off the new scab when I pull off the bandage. I tell them both thanks and he says "Come Wednesday." And that's when I realize they aren't going to give me bandages but bandage the wound for me again in two days. As long as I don't have to pay again this is ten times better than what I originally had in mind.
And that was my experience at the school hospital.