so, my first post in china. it's going to be a long one.
this is my first time back in asia since i moved back to connecticut from hong kong when i was 11, so i'm really excited to revisit places i went as a child, but also experience a lot more of china and asia in general than i did when i lived around here.
first things first: i got here december 27th in the afternoon, and took the bus with everyone else on the CET beijing j-term program (mostly midd kids) to our school in the xizhimen district, which is really close to the beijing zoo. it's a nice school -- small, but convenient and i like the fujin, or neighborhood, that it's in.
i got sick almost immediately after getting here -- it seems to happen everywhere i go. i had what seemed like the flu for a couple of days which was awful, especially since i couldn't celebrate new years here, but luckily i got well pretty quickly. still have the beijing cough, though -- that never seems to disappear once you get it, thanks to the terrible air quality. i'm just hoping my lungs survive until i get home.
everyone here has a chinese roommate, and i adore mine. she's young (only 18), a freshman in college, loves garfield and is very talkative and bubbly. she's also incredibly caring, as it seems all of the chinese roommates are -- she took such good care of me when i was sick, always watches out for me when we're walking along a busy street, that kind of thing. it's strange because she's the same age as my younger sister, but she's also motherly at the same time.
it's interesting to discuss how americans and chinese both agree and differ on certain issues with her. the other day we were talking about how zhongguo de nianqing ren (young chinese people) view homosexuality these days: she said that the chinese are gradually adopting a more liberal view, which is good to hear. we also talked about relationships, as they are generally viewed a lot more seriously here than in the states. casual dating/hooking up for the most part doesn't really exist; if you're with someone, it's definitely a serious thing.
the food here is delicious! this weekend i ate incredibly well -- it was marvelous. on friday i went with some friends and their roommates to a xinjiang style restaurant. xinjiang is an area of china that is really close to kazakhstan, pakistan (and i think india too), so the food reflects a lot of that influence. we ate a lot of lamb, yogurt, and sesame naan bread, along with a thick noodle dish and some other dishes. it was amazing. on saturday, two of my friends and i went to beijing's most famous peking duck restaurant, quanjude. between the three of us, we ordered one duck, which they sliced for us to roll into pancakes with scallions and plum sauce. it's hands down the richest meat i've ever had, and it is also arguably the most delicious. on sunday i went with a friend to meet up with two midd kids who were studying in hangzhou last semester and had hot pot, or mala tang. for hot pot, they give you a pot with fire under it to heat the food you put into it -- essentially the chinese version of fondue. we chose a curry broth for our base, and ordered tofu, vegetables and dumplings to cook in the pot. aside from the specialty spots, there is also a small noodle place just around the corner from our school that serves huge bowls of noodles for the equivalent of about 50 to 75 cents -- the great food and bargain prices are turning it into a favorite for me.
the sights to see here are great as well. on saturday we went to changcheng, or the great wall. the view is, of course, breathtaking. you really can't fathom how huge the wall really is, even when you're standing on it. it was a little cold, but it was really sunny so it made for great views and a nice trek up to the wall.
last saturday, a day after we got here, i also went with some friends to beijing 798, which is beijing's super-hip modern art district. they have tons and tons of galleries along a long road that makes up a small neighborhood of art and artists. the biggest and best in the area that we visited was UCCA, or ullens center for contemporary art. they had work by some of the most famous chinese modern artists right now, and their work was absolutely amazing. it was really interesting to note the strong connection between france and china in modern art. a lot of china's modern art is shown in galleries in paris, and so there was a fair amount of french infused into the modern art timeline that we looked at. i adore paris and french, so it was a cool connection to see. we went into one gallery of work by the gao brothers, two brothers well-known for their photography. their work was incredible. what was even more incredible, though, was having the older brother invite us to his office/bigger studio across the street. while members of the french and chinese elite sauntered around the office looking at which pieces to buy, we gawked at all the amazing artwork. needless to say, we felt pretty damn cool walking out of there.
to sum it up, beijing's an interesting place. it's crowded, it's polluted, it's loud, and people spit everywhere. and so far, it's great.
