Surviving China 101 with Ashley

Decembers Pictures

2008-12-23T04:23:00.001-08:00

i went to the zoo as well!!! pandas are the most adorable animals up close! (also Tous Les Jours is my favorite backory in Beijing.)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T04:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! im doing well. Just got over my THIRD cold of the year. three too many if u ask me. Christmas is around the corner and I have cut out and taped up paper snowflakes on m window, made a gingerbread house, dressed as Santa for a day and exchanged secret Santa gifts. Tomorrow the entire Dickinson group is going out for Christmas Hotpot (along with 2 of my chinese friends) I even put my secret santa gift and some chocolate in my santa hat and hung it off my bed post. I feel so Christmasy. Anyway. The Dickinson kids are all going to Shanghai next week. That will be fun. Supposedly we're staying in a pretty nice hotel and eating out every night and going to a convert on New Years Eve. Did you know the average chinese house doesnt have an oven. Thats right, unless your a westerner who owns a really really nice house, the average or even more wealthy chinese folk doesnt have an oven. The chinese dont even use ovens. so wierd. also. Its freezing here. Today the there was a high of 36 and a low of 17 and with windchill the low was 7. 7!!! its so so so cold. and no sone. theres only 2 inches of cummulative rainfall here a year. I will upload photos of my BEAUTIFUL Chinese style gingerbread house (it took me and JP HOURS to make) and my day dressed up as santa (an all day frolic around Beijing (and its many bars) dressed as santa ) as well as some other various photos taken with my fabulous new camera that doesnt take pink pictures :)

Mid terms are no fun

2008-11-25T03:10:00.000-08:00

Since this week has been all about catching up and this week all about studying for midterms i have been busy. This wednesday i have my kouyu midterm and this friday i have my hanyu midterm. And can i just say my nai nai is AMAZING? I asked her to proof read my chinese oral and we spent an hour going over corrections and talking about my topic...snowboarding! Anyway, in the end, my little sister my grandmother and my nanny/cook/housekeeper all looking over my shoulder as i retyped my speech (in chinese of course) It was a bonding moment of sorts. Anyway, im going to get back to studying. I have a quiz tomorrow morning as well.
Wish me luck!
A.

Ps. this is a random picture i took at the summer palace. At local tourist sites you can usually find one or two people who make these creatures out of palm leaves. Really cool in my opinion. (and yes i bought one)

Its getting colder here too

2008-11-21T03:45:00.000-08:00

Hello all!
I'm not dead contrary to popular blogging belief, although i did feel close to it this morning...I woke up this morning and threw up in my trash can. Not fun. I think i ate something that did not agree with my stomach last night. I was pretty embarrassed and didn't really know how to tell my aiyi (literally translates into aunt, but is also the standard name to call a woman who is slightly older then you but not your mothers age.) My house has an aiyi who helps my nainai (fathers mother) cook and clean and take care of my meimei (younger sister). She was so sweet and helped me clean it up right away, she also made sure i took some medicine and and slept all afternoon. At night my nainai made me soup! I never eat with the family because we're not allowed to, because we dont give the family stipend money for food. But tonight she made me the most amazing soup that was made from red and yellow beans, black rice and some other things. She told me i wasnt allowed to eat oily food or I would feel sick again. Its times like this I LOVE living with a family. Even if they do live really far away. I feel all better now, and I sat down and answered ALL of my emails finally.
Get this! I may be able to interview a dickinson applicant! She lives in China and is applying to Dickinson:) My friend JP got to interview a different girl and said that its a really neat process. Im also celebrating Thanksgiving with JiJi Jones and her family and some family friends. All of the other Dickinson students are going to a texas restraunt which is hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner and sounds really fun, but I think meeting JiJis family and her friends and learning about how life is for foriegners in China will be even more interesting.
Also, its getting quite nippy here. Today was really nice with a high of 55, but nights are brutal. I am thinking about buying another sweater. I think it would be a very wise investment. I am SO glad i asked for my UGG boots!
As for finances. I am not going to Europe and I am not going to Japan:( The plan right now is for me to travel with 3 friends down the coast of China and into Vietnam for the month, with will be about 1500 dollars we think, but nothing has been settles completely. Going to Japan would have been extremely costly and a little out of my budget even if i didnt go anywere else. And Europe is always expensive. But, with my current plan I am completely set moneywise and have no more financial worries, so there is always a silver lining.
Tomorrow im meeting with a new chinese friend I just met in the Cafateria on thursay, and then Sunday night the Dickinson Kids are going to Gao Laoshi's house for dinner. Next week I also have 2 big midterms. no fun. And thats all ive got so far.
happy almost Thanksgiving!
A.

long time no see

2008-11-16T06:47:00.001-08:00

Its been a while and im sorry I havent updated in a while. Its hard to find the time to update, especially when my house is so far away from my school and no where near anywhere i usually frequent.
This update is specifically for my fabulous parents. Here are a few picture of the Forbidden city and the Summer Palace. The Dickinson group went to the FC 2 weekends ago and the SP this last weekend. I also went to a spa (remind me to tell you all about THAT) and i've been sick all week with a nasty cold and im just getting better now. I have an 80 WORD quiz tomorrow in Kou Yu (speaking class) and i took a huge Ting Li (listening comprehension class) mid term last thursday. I went out to dinner tonight with JP and last night with sarah, both very low key. And last night i played barbies with my youngest host sister and taught her how to make paper cranes. I am also curently on the lookout for healthy food. I dont even know where to start looking. Its hard to tell whats healthy here and whats not when you can even read the names. Anyway. here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Monday-my first bicycle ride

2008-10-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

So today was a beautiful Monday. A bit chilly and nice and clear. Mondays I only have one class at 12:30 so i got up late, and talked to my family and matt on skype.
I decided today I wanted to try and ride my families bike to school (they said i could use it) It takes me 30 minutes to get to school by bicycle. On a good day it takes 15 minutes to walk to the bus stop and 15 minutes by bus to my school. So in a way, i may almost save time biking to school. Anyway. The bike is a little short for me (not only am i considered very tall in china, they also dont even make or sell my shoe size) so biking was made a little difficult, but not too bad. Biking in china is like playing Frogger and Dodgeball simultaneously. While bikers have their vary own lane, most drivers ignore this and use it as a passing lane. OR people park their cars in it. So after dadging parked cars, moving cars, other cyclists and motorbikes, one also has to navigate bus stops and intersections. I was pedling along, minding my own, when a motorcyle/moped zooms around and in front of me and I swerved to aviod him, but a car was coming at the same exact time. I swerved into the side of the car and grazed my leg, probably only a small bruise now. But it was still a little shocking. The moped man sped away and the car guy yelled something and drove away, and I continued on. That was probably the most exciting thing that happened today. I bought a new meal card because i had lost my old one on the subway. I met and tutored a chinese MBA graduate in english (for free because i have to explain everything in Chinese so its helping me too) and i got an early dinner by myself because i didnt want to spend money and go out to eat and shop with my friends. no fun, but cheap.
Im off to finish my HW and go to bed.
ming tian kan jian
A.

temple pictures

2008-10-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

Here are more pictures from two weekends ago. After we climbed the great wall we went to a museum/ temple. and after that to dinner. (JP and sarah are posing with the bell) (the painted squares are the ceiling)

Im Back

2008-10-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

miss me? i know, its ok... im sorry i was gone for so long. So much has happened in these last two weeks. Much to much to talk about. But i've been so busy that i haven't had any time to sit down at my computer at all! This is in part due to the fact that i live very far away from everything.
So, lets try and recap ashleys last two weeks.
I now have a job as a tutor 3 hours a week making a little bit of money. I have two language exchange partners nither of whom speak very good english, In fact, i would even hazard to say my chinese is better then both of there english. I climbed a mountain last weekend and bought my halloween costume. I and 4 of my friends are going as 5 of the 7 deady sins. I am greed so I got to buy a great gold and silver sequined dress:) Its getting nippy out now adays so regular attire requires a jacket or my fabulous pink puffy vest. It was our friends birthday last weekend so the Dickinson kids rolled out in style to Hooters (yes there is a Hooters in China and no none of them are bigger then an A cup) to celebrate his 21st. We then went to an amazing club called Banana, where the floor is on hydrolics, very cool. Last Thursday I took my frist set of 3 very big exams in 2 of my classes. I did miserably on one, and I havent gotten the other back yet, but im pretty sure I passed with flying colors. For my month long vacation my friend JP and I have decided to to take the trans-sibiran railway all the way to europe and then travel from moscow to berlin, from berlin to london, from london to Toulouse and then to Florence and Amsterdam, and then back to Beijing. All and all the total travel expense (tickets) costs 1000$. not bad for my first whirl wind adventure around the world. Im really excided for this may be the only time Im going to be able to see so much of europe. JP says im ging to have to buy a very large backpack, for we will be traveling out of it the entire month.
Ta Ta for now. More detailed updates coming soon
love
A.

Saturdays Pictures

2008-10-12T04:58:00.000-07:00

A Long Saturday with a Long Wall

2008-10-12T04:23:00.000-07:00

Saturdays Schedule: Great wall, Lunch, Temple, Massage, Dinner, Clubs.
My very long day started at 6:45 as I rolled out of bed with 4 hours of sleep under my belt and, with toast in mouth, marched out the door to the bus. The kids from Dickinson were about to have our first field trip of the year. I met up with the group at 北大西门 (Bei Da north gate). We crammed into a tiny mini bus and Gao passed out breakfast. When I say breakfast please dont mistake that for toast, eggs and ham, or a crossant and butter, oh no my friends, oh no. Goa thought it a good idea to give us what looks decievingly like capri sun, but then ends up to be grape jello in a pouch that you sip through a straw, fruit rollup like stripped of dried fruit COATED in sugar, a strange object that looked like a doughnut, but it was a lie. It was probably once doughnut like until some genius was like, "hey, lets deep fry this doughnut in liquid sugar so its like one big kind of soggy kind of stale oil stick" ><(
It was an hour long bus ride to the section of the wall we went to visit. And when we got there we found out that this portion of the wall was actually a circle. some one back in the day thought to build a portion of the great wall (that was supposed to keep people out) in a circle. Thats the chinese for you. And so we walked it, or half of it. And it was steep. I have included some pictures but they dont really do the height justice. Some portions of the wall you could almost climb up hand and foot they were so steep. And the height of the stairs differed. There was no average height, so every step was different. Afer a nice 2 hour romp around the wall, and a short picture shoot dressed up in costumes at one of the towers, we went back to the bus. I stopped breifly to look at souveneirs, and when I turned around everyone was gone! I called JP and he told me to walk along the highway under a bridge, and then past a toll booth and then I would find them. What he didnt know was that there were two highways running parallel on either side of this complex, so I walked one, and after 15 inutes I called him again to say I was still very lost. It took me half and hour to walk to where the group was. bu hao yisi (not good). After the great wall we went out for lunch where, well, lets say Gao bought some very high class drinks for group and we toasted all afternoon long. After this we went to a temple that explained the history of bells in China. It might have just been me, but I am tired of seeing reconstructions of history. Nothing is real. Everything is a repoduction because most of these things had been destroyed during the cultural revolution. But anyway. We went, I took pictures. It was nice.
After this the group was taken to a massage parlor where we got to lie on comfy chairs and have the crap beaten out of us in a good way. After this there was a group dinner. This was not so merry as the last meal. In fact, the food was aweful. The group had planned to go clubbing together that night, and so I went home and took a nap. But when I woke up, i didnt feel like clubbing. In fact, I felt extremely happy as I was, so I called up my friend and told him I would be enjoying sleep that night and then did just that.
If youve finished reading all this then your a trooper.
A.

Friday Oh Friday

2008-10-12T03:38:00.000-07:00

Friday started out miserably. After a friend called around 1 waking me up, i realized I had to get my visa fixed on Friday. So I woke up at 6:30, got up, dressed, had breakfast, and made my bed. American Medical forms are not legitimate in China, and so i had to retake several tests on monday at this clinic 20 minutes from the school. Friday morning I planned to pick them up and then go to school to get another form, and then class, lunch and then to the police station with JP. But this was not to be. After checking my form I found out that I could only pick up my forms between 1 and 3, so I had gotten up 4 hours earlier then I needed to. So I went online and checked my mail and facebook and went on skype where matt consoled me with pictures of beautiful Long Beach Island. As I walked to school my spirits were lifted a little by the fact that it was another gorgeous day out. I got to class, took my quiz, and enjoyed reading my friends TIME magazine during the short break. After class I was supposed to tutor, but my tutee called in sick so low and behold, I got to go to the clinic at 1:00 and got back to school in prefect time around 2:00 an hour before the office closed to have them evaluate my collection of formes and then give me another (the amount of red tape in this country is discusting). And then suddenly they asked me for 460 kuai! Usually they give you 2 options. Go all the way to the police station and wait for HOURS and get your forms varified for free, or do it at school. I had planned to do it for free, because my friend JP had gone to the police station at 12:30 to get 2 line tickets and at 2:30 our numbers still hadent been called. But This time they didnt give me that option and finished all the forms at school, which I was both miffed and relieved about. I hadnt wanted to spend 4 hours at the police station, but i really hadnt wanted to spend 460 kuai either.
I went to the police station anyway to keep poor JP company as he waited in line. (the police station is several subway stoppes away from school and half way across the city) Finally, JPs number was called and we rejoiced outside the station afterwards singing made up "im so happy my visa is fixed" songs so loudly it made people turn. And thus, tired but triumpant we returned to wudaokou and had a celebratory lunch at a completely empty Pyro, enjoying pizza and motzarella sticks and talking for 2 hours about our favorite memories.
I went home until 10 when I met up with JP again and we went to a cozy bar/ club and danced the night away with fellow 外国人 (foreigers).
Visa Problem Free and happy as a bee,
A.

picture 1 is a colom on Bei Da campus which is on every other oplympic advertisment and I dont know why
picture 2 is JP outside the police station with his new found friend the cleaning man

Wednesday Thursday

2008-10-12T02:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday turned out to be beautiful. It was like stepping into a New England October. While there were no vibrant fall colors, the sun was shining, the wind was light, and the leaves were falling. I had my first class and ended up going home and taking a nap with all the time i had. I came back early to have lunch with 2 new friends and then we sat in the sun for an hour and studies for our impending 40 word quiz, which i think i did fine on. After class I called up sarah and we bought shirts to screen print (havent finished them yet though). I met up with kaitlin for dinner and when home to prepare for my 6 hours of class on Thursday.
Thurday was gray and cold, quite the opposite of what the forcast had told me. Classes were long and as usual and I looked forward to friday. After classes JP Sarah and I found the dong men (south gate) bus stop, its a little far away, but from there we found a bus that went to Wudaokou. At wudaokou we went to tous le jours, a pastry shop, and gorged on yummy foods with cream fillings:) After this, JP and I decided it was shopping time. And because i only had one class the next day, we set out on an adventure to find Halloween costumes. We went to the train station and picked a random stop and went there. We went to 2 Malls with no avail, and were soar and tired from hours of walking. Luckily we had spotted an Irish Pub while we were taking a taxi to the second mall. We underestimated the distance, and ended up walking a half an hour to get to this place. With a toast to a very long, not so good day, we enjoyed our very expensive sandwiches and beer and then returned home wet, cold and happy with plans for a picnic on friday.
A.

Another day in China

2008-10-07T04:38:00.000-07:00

Its getting cold out.
I wore my fleece today. I had 6 hours of classes today. Tuesdays are long and I always end up spacing out in my last class. I had a quiz today in the second class, i did ok. There's no time for lunch on Tuesdays so I just run to one of the dining halls and grab red bean buns and eat them on the way back to class. Nothing fun happened today either. Just got up, had class, ran to get buns, had class, had my last class. Tried to get a student ID card but the place had JUST closed. Had an early dinner at 5 by myself, took the bus home. Now im studying. I have WAY too much to memorize. i have 60 words to memorize by tomorrow, all assigned today. The day after that I have 30 NEW words to memorize in my other class. All very boring, mind numbing and repititious.
Tomorrow I have an 830 class, and then i dont have class untill 2:30. Theres this big gap in the middle and i dont have enought to do to fill it. I have to study, try and get this ID and then have lunch with a friend, that leaves 2 hours to kick around with and i have no money this week so this leaves me with very few options. If i were to clasify today as a color, I would say today was a grey day. Hopfully there are more colorfull days to come.
Hanging in there,
A.

ps. the pics are from Tian Jin

A day mis-spent

2008-10-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

Today was the opposite of last night. No fun at all.
I woke up, talked to matt, and ran for the bus. Traffic was horrible and I was late meeting up with JP at the visa place. At the visa place where Gao told us to meet, no one was there, including Gao laoshi. So I went in and sat down for the third time to have my visa fixed when they told me my American health forms werent valid in China. Thats right, 100 US dollars later, their not valid. Thank you Dickinson for being prett much useless on this trip. So i missed class to go to a Foreigners Hospital to get blood drawn and x-rays taken and blood pressure and paper work and an ecg. And of course, to give the chinese government more money. All and all, I have spent 1000 to 1500 kuai MORE then Dickinson origionally told us about, and I am sorely dissapointed in their ability to oversee this trip. I found out that this China trip only costs about HALF of what we pay the school, and the rest of it goes to subsidize other Dickinson abroad programs. Anyway, after all this, i had the choice of going to the last 3rd of my class or getting lunch, and lunch won. JP and I hopped in a Taxi and asked the driver to take us to his favorite Hot Pot restaurant, and so he did. And it was pretty good, and a little expensive. After this I went to back to Bei Da to try and get a student ID so I could use the library (after being told that the library card I had applied for actually didnt work without getting a student ID first) but i got lost. So i went to the cafe on campus and studied for a while. I ran into sarah and we bought shirts at the campus store (were going to personalize them, everyone from Dickinson is getting one) and then dinner, home on a VERY overcrowded bus (that would not be legal in America) and now blogging. Im off to do HW, wish me luck for tomorrow, 6 hours of class back to back to back starting at 830.
lots of love
A.

Catch up day

2008-10-05T06:24:00.001-07:00

So, the other post was too long. This post is about the weekend after.
I got home from Tianjin and was TIRED and BROKE (but satisfied). I have spent most of my money for this coming week on my vacation, which is ok, it just means I have to stay in this week. Sarah came over last night and we bought dinner at the small pastry place around the corner and watched the highlights of the VP political debate. My host sisters were full of energy that night. I still have beads and barbies scattered all over my floor. I finally got to talk to matt and my parents this morning, which was nice. Today I tutured! thats right! Every week 2 hours a week I tuture a girl my age at Bei Da. Her english is passable already, but for 70 kuai an hour we talk and I help her with new worlds, grammer patterns and coloqialisms. After that we met up with JP and sarah for lunch, and then JP and I went on an adventure to find DVDS. I was still tired and i really wanted to be happy. Its getting cold and yucky here, and I craved hot chocolate, PJs, a movie, a couch and a blanket. So JP and I search high and low until a really scetchy man on a corner led us into a big electronics mall (7 stories of electronics) and showed us a booth were i purchased Enchanted and JP found LOTR. (The old man obviously got a cut of the price.) So then I went home. Finally figured out how to take a hot shower, climbed into PJs, ate some of my munsons chocolate and popped in my movie. Tonight, hopfully I will talk to matt again and then head off to bed. A good end to a good night.
OH! and Im getting a package! YAY! I have recently come to realize what I had already secretly known, the Chinese have very small feet, and do not, i repeat DO NOT have anything NEAR my shoe size. So i am getting a package with shoes and a sweater, and I am very very happy.
the end.
A.

Grand Adventures

2008-10-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

I have been having grand adventures. So many so i am afraid we will have to skip ahead to the recent ones.
As you diligent readers all know, i have been sick. no fun. But none the less determined to have fun, i agreed to go with some friends to Tianjin for our 5 day (including weekend) break. So Sarah, John Frankin, Dan, Jen and I all took one of Beijing fantastic new trains on a 30 minute ride to Tianjin, the 3rd biggest port city in China. There we met up with JP Stevenson and our new found Austrian friend Max. Upon arrival, both Jen and I realized that we had forgotten our passports! At first the group tried to check into the only hostel in the area, which had said the night before that it had 10 free beds, and found that they now only had 4. For a group of 8, this was not so great.But four hotels later we found a suitable arrangment. Not having a Visa means you cant legally stay anywhere in a City, and you especially cant purchase a room in a hotel. So 6 friends purchased 3 bedrooms with twin beds, and brought everyones things up to the rooms while Jen and I sat in the lobby. We went on to have dinner and explore the Gulou, or culture street, which, it turns out, was built around 1995 and was purly a venders market decorated to look traditional. I bought a hat, its an awesome hat, ill post a picture of it. Later on we went back and I bought a candy dragon, and AWESOME andy dragon. Again ill post a picture. That night Jen and i snuck in with the group when the night shift came in. It was like playing robin hood or being a fugitive. The next day was a little hectic. JP and Max woke us up early and we all went to see a temple, but it was under construction, and then we tried to go to a museaum, but it was closed. with reason (China doesnt ned reasons to do what it does apparently) But we did stumble upon a tiny Church hidden down a back ally which was a fantastic find! Religion in China is so very interesting and controversial. Later JP max and I went out for lunch, got lost, wondered around, booked a new hotel for the night after being turned away from the hostal AGAIN, and went exploring. Everyone but Sarah, Max, JP and I went back to Beijing and our small group went to find dinner. On our fruitless attempt to find culture we stumbled upon an Italian fetival in the old Austrian quarters o Tianjin. We ordered pizza spagetti and wine and settled in under the canopy of ivy to watch the preformences...which turned out to be kareoke, soprano sax, American pop music, Chinese pop music, and some horribly played Motzart. But all in all it was a good night.
Conclusion. China has too much paperwork. China has whitewashed and re-written its culture to the point where even its people do know what real history is.
A.

sick

2008-09-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

When we last left our heroine she was about to settle in for a movie night when suddenly...
Her friend called! He said that it was about time they met up in Beijing, as they had been planning to for weeks. So she showered (mind you I haven't learned how to work the warm water yet, so ive only taken FREEZING cold showers) and hopped over to lush for the night. The next day she stayed in, cleaning, shopping for Tide, sleeping and talking to friends. Her trusty phone went off around 5, and she made plans to meet up with friends for dinner and a movie that night. And so off she romped to school, wrapped in a sweatshirt and leggings for it was the beginning of many chilly nights. Upon meeting her friends she ventured to Pizza Hut, the equivilant to the Olive Garden in the States, and ate fast food pizza with fork and knife. After the movie, whihc ended at 1230, it took half and hour to return home. Upon arriving she descovered a terrible surprise! The door would not open! As much as she tried, her key would not do the trick. And so, sad and tired, she fell asleep outside her host families front door until 300. Waking up cold and stiff, Ashley grew unhappy and strove to open the door once more. This time, her key got stuck! As she attempted to free it from the lock (a noisy endeaver) her host father heard her and grumply let her in.
Yesterday she slept in, watched project runway, cleaned, did Homework and went to Bei Da for some dinner and a movie, (Prince Caspian in Chinese) and returned by 9:00, realizing that she was sick. Soar throat, post nasal drip, and feeling under the weather. But she was greated by a great surpirse! He host sisters had drawn her pictures! And she hung them up on her wall and then went to bed.
The End
A.

Halla at your girl

2008-09-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

its been a while and i apologize, this weeks been a little bit of a blur.
Visa stuff: will be fixed on the 6th. I called my parents who called the school who called Gao laoshi and told her to get off her but and actually do something for once. yay!
It was jens birthday on Wednesday and the whole crew rolled out in style to a Japanese sushi restaurant to celebrate. As is customary, we took her out and had a blast afterwards. of course. The next day i have FOUR CLASSES thats 8 HOURS of class for all you non- bei da folk. and it hurt. I had my first culture class that day. The teacher is really nice but this class is all in Chinese, no english aloud, so im not sure how much i'll actually learn about the culture. After a long day of classes Dan, John B, John, JP e, Chris and I went to Pyro for our weekly tournament, and of course, Dickinson represented well. I have some great pictures so far. But every time i whip out my camera someone makes fun of it. Its called the dinosaur now, supposedly because its so old, but it still works even after ive dropped it so many times! Friday was nice and relaxed. One class and some shopping at wangfujing. i got a bomber helmet and a winter jacket (somthing i needed and something i didnt) Had lunch at lush afterwords, and then met up with some new friends at lush a little later. All and all a very nice and very busy week. Today is a down time day, a day to relax, clean, work, and buy lotion, because this water is killing my skin.
all the best
A.

the worst of both worlds

2008-09-22T05:27:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
Im back, I know you've missed me. Its been two fulfilling days you've missed out on. At the end of the last post I told you i was going to wudaokou to eat scorpion, but that was a lie. Instead, Dan, John and I went to Wangfujing to eat scorpion, and baby seahorse on a stick, and whole coconuts. And window shop of course. Can i just say that i cant tell which is more frightning, getting a Visa in China or eating recently fried scorpion? Its a toss up.
Wangfujing is a shopping area by the way, just in case you were unaware, it is a very very large shopping block. So, thus in the shopping district, Dan John and I went shopping. They are great shopping partners. The only problem was, everything was SO SO expensive, more expensive in face, then in the USA. AND no one has my shoe size...or Johns, or dans. I really need clothes, one weeks worth is just not going to cut it, and im just not sure how to get them right now. I did learn how to do laundry though, which was my goal for the weekend.
That night I also went to the Crows Nest, an Ex Pat bar/ pizza place with amazing pizza, but i think i like Pyro better (Pyro has music and football on the big screen). It was free beer night, so Sarah, sarahs friend who graduated last year, Chris, Mike, James and I went for some pizza and a free pint. Not bad.
The next day i slept in did laundry and went out to dinner at Lush and stayed for some open mic night. it is just not fair how some ppl can speak multiple languages fluently, sign and play guitar. Not fair at all.
Lastly, Vias. Supposedly i need a new one. The ones they issed in the US are only valid for a month, and then I get kicked out. And if you thought getting a Visa in the States was hard, try doing it in Chinese. I guess i did something wrong, or not fast enough or someting, because now i have to get up tomorrow at 7 AM to go to the police station and get some document re registered. I am SO SO SO very confused. Ill keep you posted on my graduale death by Visa.
peace and love,
A.

the prefect two days

2008-09-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

SOOOO...
at the end of the last post 2 days ago, i was unsure about going out by myself and a little sad that I had no one to go out with because most of my friends are in different classes then yours truely. But after a little push in the right direction from JP, i hoofed it to Pyro. It was either stay in by myself, or go out by myself, so it was a pretty easy choice. At pyro i ran into Chris and Dan, who had signed up for the weekly pong tournament. We grabbed some pizza and myself a long Island and i settled down to cheer them on. They won, of course, like Dickinsonians do, and represented Carlizle very well. Consiquently, i won a bet with Dan and 100 Kuai as well as a round of shots next time we head out. I also got a free drink, which was very up my ally. Thus, the night ended in success.
The next day after our one afternoon class, most of the group went to lunch at this great inexpensive chinese restraunt which is quickly becoming my favorite. Only thing is that you need to go with five or more people to really enjoy it. And definately not by yourself. After lunch JP had a fantastic idea. Why not go to Ho Hai, a swanky touristy district some ways away with a lake, and hit up one of their famous roof top bars for an early happy hour. So, happy as clams we skipped off to this lovely area, and found ourselves on a swanky and expensive rooftop patio enjoying the entire rest of the day away with som new found friends from Italy and France. The day ended at Babyface, where we proceded to dance the night away, and thus it was. The pefect day.
Today the plan is to go to wudaokou (a district near school) where there will be venders with crazy foods all day today, and i am going to try scorpian. wish me luck!
Sorry there are no pictures, but ill get on it i promise!
good night, and good luck
A.

level 6 level 7

2008-09-18T03:34:00.000-07:00

classes began today. i had two. kou yu level 6 and han yu level 7 (speaking and comprehension) speaking is a pretty awesome class so far. han yu could cause a little more trouble. both classes are 2 hours long. 1010 to 1210 and 1230 to 230. went out to lunch with mike, Dan, kaitlin and kaitlin V our new friend from NYC. We are all in the same class. James also came along, as well as a guy named jimmy who has been here for 3 months and seems to know a lot about the city. Afterwards i went home, studied some for my xingxue (small listening quiz) that i have tomorrow, and I plan to go out tonight. maybe. hopefully. Im still thinking about it.
that is all
A.

In Beijing, every day is Talk Like a Pirate Day

2008-09-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

Long time no see.
Its good to be back. Lets see what I have for you today.
Two nights ago the Dickinson crew pre-gamed and then then moved to Pyro where the pizza is delicious, the music is all in english and so is the menu. After a bit of camera fun, the The Pyro ppl pulled their tables off the wall and we got down and dirty. It was only six cup but sarah and i lost pretty badly. Not a good way to represent Carlizle. But Chris and Johns team did pretty well, four games i think. It was a good night.
Yesterday night we hit up Lush again. Great place to Chill for happy hour. It was a much more low key night out with friends. OH! and JP sarah Anna and I went to the Tea House again. Very expensive, but always SO much fun. We played kings with tea, which, for some reason, left us incredably giddy. We also decided that every day is Talk Like A Pirate Day in Beijing, where every word seems to end in ERRRR.
Registration. I also registered yesterday. It was horendous. So far the college has completely abandoned us. They told us we could move classes, we cant, they told us placement was a simple process, but not only is it NOT simple, its in CHINESE. And when we called Gao Laoshi for help (because we havent seen her since the first day we all got here) she told us to follow the directions given to us (in CHINESE). But together, all 17 of us managed to get scraggle by right before the deadline. When megan said this was a hands off program she wasnt kidding. Dickinson dropped us off and wont pick us up till we come home.
Lastly, my friend Haben sent me an email about these cheap hair ties made and sold in China that were made out of used condoms and thread, it sounded pretty gross but i didnt think i would ever see one. That is until i was brushing my teeth yesterday morning and saw then scattered all around the counter top. I am going to send my host dad the email, because as I am just beginning to realise, China is a VERY different place.
peace,
A.

zhong qiu jie - the moon festival

2008-09-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a slow day. Had breakfast, went online. I did have a small adventure though. I finally got my own house key so i went out and walked up and down the block exploring a little. I found a cute pastry shop where i can buy the best hot dogs i have ever had, as well as pastries and cakes and moon cakes and ice cream bars. I found two small book shoppes where i could stalk up on school supplies need be, and a small convenient store, which, to my very great surprise sells single bottles of Heineken for 15 kuai! (3 dollars) Thats pretty cool in China.
That night i stayed in with my family and they threw a mini celebration with moon cakes and the usual karaoke and the two girls preformed songs and dances and dressed up like a hourse and did the most adorable dance ever!!
This morning I had my placement exam (the exam from hell) If i ever doubted how little Chinese i knew, I will never doubt again. At one point i gave up trying to read the long answer questions and just started bubbling in answers. This test was like the writing section of the SATS in CHINESE.
After this horrible experience the Dickinson crew all headed down to Lush for some comforting American food, hookas, and tea. And now im home. But not for long i think. My family has told me we are climbing a mountian today (yay, but not really).
hope to see you back here again tomorrow, same time, same place
A.

Lost in Translation

2008-09-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

The beginning is the best place to start stories, so ill start there. Yesterday I got my phone. Finally. I walked around a Carrefore with Sarah and JP for the first time, and OMG it was terrible. It was like an underground bee hive. A Carrefore as i soon found out, was like a Walmart in the US, except WAY more overwhelming. I got some school supplies and then, on a whim, JP decides we should check out this tea house in the middle of this way too overwhelming area. And it was like heaven. A little n the expensive side, its definitely a something we will be treating ourselves to once a week or bi-weekly. Its the perfect place to relax.
Upon returning by bus to campus I said my goodbyes and decided to take the bus my my hot dad told me to take to school (figuring that because it came around every half hour it was on a circular route.) To my very great dismay. it did not. after just missing it the first time i stood for 20 minutes to catch it again (instead of pay for a taxi and figuring i had time) After boarding, and then after an hour, i began to get edgy. Not only had the bus gone from almost empty to refusing passengers because there was no more standing room, suddenly there were only a handful of ppl left and me. And then 10 minutes later, everyone got off and i was shoo'ed odd as well. After freaking out and completely losing my grasp of any Chinese what so ever, i managed to find a cab driver who knew where i lived and drove me home (71 kaui and half an hour later) i got home. Terrified. To make a long story short. I met my host mother for the first time in a very frazzled state, my grandmother made me dinner. even though she wasnt supposed to. and i got to spend the rest of the evening listening to loud and unembarrassed family Karaoke.
Id like to go into how confusing this family is, but this blog as was long so ill save it for another time.
Checking Out,
A.

making my way in the world

2008-09-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

So im still posting despite the lame lack of comments on my blog. (lame) anyway. i have been a busy bee lately. Yesterday I registered with Bei Da and had to take out some sort of insurance which was like 600 yuan. (90 dollars)i also dropped 130 yuan to start up my monthly cell service. along with taxis to and from Queen last night and those funny non alcoholic pina colada tasting drinks I've put down around 1000 yuan in the first 2 days (this is like 140 dollars US, which isn't THAT bad considering) And yet i still need to go out and buy a phone today which will cost around 60 US as well as some house slippers (all the rage in China, also required in my family) some hangers AND i need to get my shopping on. Oh the dilemma!
Fun facts:
-Grapes in china can be as big as ping pong balls and are the consistency of water.
-Traffic lanes are suggestions that are mostly ignored.
-Back roads are 4 lanes wide, main roads are 9. I saw a bus diagonally cross over six lanes.
- my host sisters are adorable and love dinosaurs and mermaids and drawing and horses
- i am allergic to bunnies. i just found out the hard way. it lives out on the porch and is so So cute.
Sounding off
A.

2 days in

2008-09-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

To Who this may concern,
I have found the mother land, I will not be returning- China has nuttella. And Fruit Loops, and milk in a bag. Which is surprisingly awesome. Included in today's post are pictures of my room. I have a pretty sweet bed, way bigger then anything I've ever had before. The down side is that its hard as a brick. I dont know why, but Chinese beds are like raised floors with sheets. It continues to be gorgeous here. I am just outside of th fourth ring of the city. (there are 5 rings) so im away from the brunt of the polution, which entitles me to a view of the sky. huzzah. Yesterday my host father took me to the police station to get me registed (in the off chance i cause great havok among the people and need to be dealt with) an took me to get a phone plan (the phone i have to go find myself somehow... ive been told itsnot that hard but eerything seems way harder in another language.) the phone will probably cost like 50 buck US which is pretty steep, but really really need one. Ive found the closest ATM and i know im supposed to take the 482 bus to school. The complex in which i live is really pretty with a small pond and marble tiles scattered occasionally across the sidewalks. sweet. The house itself is a prettygood sized apartment.
Today (friday the 11th) I am going to go register at Bei Da, and see everyone else from the program. Also on the agenda is finding out my address, and hopfully socializing, for it is what i miss the most right now (horrible Chinese skillz = very lonely Ashley)
catch you on he flip side,
A.

puddle hopping

2008-09-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
I have many a great story to tell you about puddle hopping. But because i know how tedious long blogs can be, i have done my best to condense everything. But its still uber long... sorry.

1: Newark Airport = the shit (for those of you over 40 this is a slang sentence for awesome) totally empty with great hide and seek potential as well as hundreds of potential awesome picture places. - wait time: 3 hours - was talked up by 2 very drunk very republican 20 something energy salesmen for an hour before boarding. they were friendly folks.
2: skip and a jump to Houston = not too bad - 3 hours 40 min
3: Houston Airport = eh, fine. wait time: 2 hours mood: when i realized i had a 13 hour flight ahead of me, i died a little inside
4: puddle hop to Tokyo = best flight ever taken, EVER: again, the shit. time: 13 hours 25 min. I had an isle sea, with no one sitting next to me. Here are the reasons flying overseas with Continental rock. 1 free food (and free Haagen Dazs) 2 mini tvs with over 125 movies and programs (free) and like, hundreds of free songs and games at your fingertips. (picture enclosed)
5: Tokyo layover = horrible. wait time: 4 hours, things to do: nothing (no venders no wi fi no cell service no money no place to go) (i felt like i was in quarantine)
6: puddle jump to Beijing = North West is not half as cool as Continental let me tell you. tiny little lame TVs, worse food and a seat mate. uncool. time: 3 hours
7: Beijing Airport= large and in charge. wait time: nada took 20 minutes to get my bags and get though customs and find my host family. awesome.
8: bed time like whoa

and now i am here, and now i will end this post. wish me luck.
A.

the Calm

2008-09-08T12:37:00.001-07:00

Just trying out a picture, working my way around this site.

First blog

2008-09-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

So! I did have another blog with Dickinson but it was a confusing and frustrating process to keep up, so thanks to mike (who i stole this blog idea off of) i have come to blog spot to try anew.
In my previous 2 blogs on my other blog attempt I talked about life at porters over the summer during my job as a counselor and then i wrote about this being my last day in the States and how i was changing blogs and now here i am!
This is my last day and it has been beautiful! my fabulous boyfriend woke me up this morning and my friend Elise called right after to wish me a good flight (thanks Elise!!!) Ive been packing all day and now, as soon as this blog is finally set up, i will be done:)
Now back to cleaning, packing and reading my life for a slight make over. I will entertain you all later with tragic airport tales and woes.
All the best
A.