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!