I am back in the States, obviously, and I'm doing great.
I forgot how to be American or something for awhile. I remember standing in O'Hare looking strangely at the unfamiliar American money in my hand. I remember hearing English everywhere and seeing English written everywhere. It was all new at first. While I was waiting to fly back to Buffalo, I heard a girl talking on the phone in Chinese and I got SO EXCITED because I understood her! I started talking to her in Chinese and she was baffled at first and then couldn't believe it. We had a great chat until she boarded her plane. I miss the language so much now. I never thought I'd miss that so much. I miss learning and using and practicing Chinese. I miss China. There, I said it.
I've resumed my American life (sans health insurance) and I'm back at Wal-mart as a cashier again for the summer. There's nothing more American than Wal-mart and I tell you, it makes me miss China. I miss the crazy dirty hot sticky crowded inefficient mess that is Beijing. I love Beijing. I feel like I left a piece of me behind there. When people buy Coke products I always smile because currently they all bear the Beijing Olympics symbol, and I think about how I used to see that little symbol on damn near EVERYTHING in China.
I went to see Kung Fu Panda with Jake today. It was my desperate attempt to get some China. I miss my China. I liked Kung Fu Panda because clearly some of the people on the production team have a thorough knowledge of the language and culture, and it showed subtly. Some of the names of the characters were supposed to be funny, I think, in Chinese. I know I chuckled. I also saw the kid's TV show "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan" on Noggin this morning and my first thought was "WOW that cartoon has perfect tones." I am a nerd, but I was super happy to hear Chinese, even if it was simple phrases on a kid's show.
Coming back has made me reflect on my experience, and while China made me appreciate my life in America a lot more, I still adore the everyday adventures and mishaps that accompany life abroad. Life here is boring and mundane and slow. Every day is the same and everybody is the same now. I miss Beijing, plain and simple, and I could talk forever about my trip to China and never get tired, but I find myself trying to keep my mouth shut about it because I know I'm the only one who knows or cares what I'm talking about. I love China and I want to talk about it ALL the time, but that's nuts, right? Haha, I knew this would happen, but still, it's great to have been there and done that.
I am different now in a way I can't express, but I know that I relate to people differently now. It's like the world has become split into two categories: those who have lived in China and those who haven't. I get so excited when I meet ANYBODY who's been to any part of China. I'm a groupie. Ha ha, I just feel the connection with other people who share that uniquely dirty and wonderful experience of life in China. I will never get over China. NEVER. My heart is there now and forever - it was my first and greatest adventure and let there be no doubt that I will return again. I couldn't possibly stay away now...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Beijing Zoo
So the Beijing Zoo is quite large. However, given the number of animals they have, not so much. Most of the animals, they have a great number of them, living together in a space far too small. I felt bad for those giant apes in spaces the size of my Chinese dorm room... NOT GOOD. Plus the way the Chinese behave at the zoo is bad because they provoke the animals and tease them and try to get their attention so they can take a million pictures and blind the poor animals. Kids and adults bang on the glass and try to feed the animals (sometimes human food!) and they litter in the animal's habitat. They yell at the animals and scare them.
I felt really bad because the orangutan, who was of course really smart, wanted to go into to his outside habitat, but the door was locked. He got right up against the glass and inspected the locked door through the glass, and he poked and prodded at the door, and I was SURE he would get it open... he was getting so close, but then these annoying people came and annoyed the poor animal and he went to sit in the corner. Poor thing was in this little cramped dark room that is literally smaller than a dorm room. I wanted to help him open the door so he could go outside, but it was locked of course, and silly me, I hadn't brought some bolt-cutters with me to the zoo.
Then there was lots of kangaroos, which was neat. They were all laying lazily in the sun, and the one near me had a joey that was in the mother's pouch, head first with only his big kangaroo feet sticking out. There were hippos and rhinos, too, which are kind of rare to see in zoos, so that was neat, but at the same time I felt bad gawking at these huge wild animals who lived in a space too small for even a human to comfortably live in. At least I was nice about it, though, unlike many fellow spectators who will do just about anything to those poor animals. The Beijing Zoo apparently has no rules about pestering the animals.
I felt really bad because the orangutan, who was of course really smart, wanted to go into to his outside habitat, but the door was locked. He got right up against the glass and inspected the locked door through the glass, and he poked and prodded at the door, and I was SURE he would get it open... he was getting so close, but then these annoying people came and annoyed the poor animal and he went to sit in the corner. Poor thing was in this little cramped dark room that is literally smaller than a dorm room. I wanted to help him open the door so he could go outside, but it was locked of course, and silly me, I hadn't brought some bolt-cutters with me to the zoo.
Then there was lots of kangaroos, which was neat. They were all laying lazily in the sun, and the one near me had a joey that was in the mother's pouch, head first with only his big kangaroo feet sticking out. There were hippos and rhinos, too, which are kind of rare to see in zoos, so that was neat, but at the same time I felt bad gawking at these huge wild animals who lived in a space too small for even a human to comfortably live in. At least I was nice about it, though, unlike many fellow spectators who will do just about anything to those poor animals. The Beijing Zoo apparently has no rules about pestering the animals.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
only in china
So today after my Chinese exam, I said to Lauren, "what do you want to do now that we're done," to which she replied "I don't know...let's go to the Great Wall." Only in China can you say funny things like that and mean it. And we went to the Great Wall today, and climbed it (again). Only this time, we went to Badaling, and it was so much better than the first time I saw the Great Wall.
I'm almost done with my LAST paper! And then, no more China-school!!! I will never be forced, against my will at times, to study Chinese ever again. That's comforting.
Beijing Zoo tomorrow... YAY.
By the way, the pandas in Chengdu are all okay. I wish I could say the same about the people there...
I'm almost done with my LAST paper! And then, no more China-school!!! I will never be forced, against my will at times, to study Chinese ever again. That's comforting.
Beijing Zoo tomorrow... YAY.
By the way, the pandas in Chengdu are all okay. I wish I could say the same about the people there...
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
EV71
In case you don't know about the new disease in China, here's the official report sent out by the US Embassy:
Enterovirus 71 (Ev71) Outbreak In Central ChinaAmerican citizens are advised of an ongoing outbreak in China of an intestinal virus called enterovirus 71, or EV71. This virus causes a variant of hand, foot, and mouth disease. There are no specific precautions for this other than the general hygiene recommendations for living in China.
Over 3300 cases and at least 22 deaths have been reported in Fuyang City in Anhui Province. All of the deaths were children less than 6 years old and most were under 2 years of age. A few additional cases have been confirmed in Hangzhou City in Zhejiang Province. Hubei Province and Hong Kong have also reported a few cases.
The symptoms of EV 71 are similar but more severe than the common hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). Typically, it starts with a generalized illness, poor appetite, and sore throat, followed by a fever, rashes on the hands, feet, and buttocks along with mouth ulcers. HFMD is often confused with foot-and-mouth disease of cattle, sheep, and swine. Although the names are similar, the two diseases are not related at all and are caused by different viruses.
Infection is spread from person to person by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stool of infected persons. A person is most contagious during the first week of the illness. HFMD is not transmitted to or from pets or other animals.
For more information here are some useful links at the U.S. CDC:
HFMD page: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm
Non-polio enteroviruses
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/non-polio_entero.htm
Viral ?aseptic? meningitis
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/viral_meningitis.htm
Enterovirus 71 (Ev71) Outbreak In Central ChinaAmerican citizens are advised of an ongoing outbreak in China of an intestinal virus called enterovirus 71, or EV71. This virus causes a variant of hand, foot, and mouth disease. There are no specific precautions for this other than the general hygiene recommendations for living in China.
Over 3300 cases and at least 22 deaths have been reported in Fuyang City in Anhui Province. All of the deaths were children less than 6 years old and most were under 2 years of age. A few additional cases have been confirmed in Hangzhou City in Zhejiang Province. Hubei Province and Hong Kong have also reported a few cases.
The symptoms of EV 71 are similar but more severe than the common hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). Typically, it starts with a generalized illness, poor appetite, and sore throat, followed by a fever, rashes on the hands, feet, and buttocks along with mouth ulcers. HFMD is often confused with foot-and-mouth disease of cattle, sheep, and swine. Although the names are similar, the two diseases are not related at all and are caused by different viruses.
Infection is spread from person to person by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stool of infected persons. A person is most contagious during the first week of the illness. HFMD is not transmitted to or from pets or other animals.
For more information here are some useful links at the U.S. CDC:
HFMD page: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm
Non-polio enteroviruses
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/non-polio_entero.htm
Viral ?aseptic? meningitis
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/viral_meningitis.htm
I need to get out while I still can...
I've noticed that a lot of majorly bad things, like international-news-worthy things, have occurred in or concerning China since I first arrived here in January:
1. numerous and continued outbreaks of violence in Tib*t and Sichuan provinces, among others,
2. Olympics-related world drama,
3. the freak blizzard that turned many parts of China into disaster areas for several weeks
4. the recent earthquake in Sichuan that has killed thousands of people,
5. this new disease epidemic: EV71, which has already killed thousands of people
And then there's me with my bad luck in terms of health: I have had my fair share of infections, ranging from something like pneumonia, to a major infection in a blister on my foot, to an infection from shaving my armpits in less-than-ideal conditions (my dorm room bathroom!), and these mishaps have cost me majorly in US dollars, but at least I'm still alive. My minor concerns are nothing compared to what I see and hear about everyday here.
In light of this, I think it's time I get out of here before anything else happens, to me or to China in general. But at the same time I feel like China's so big and has so many people that bad things like this are so common and are bound to affect many people, but the rest of the world rarely if ever hears about these tragedies. For example, I follow the China Daily, the English-language newspaper of China, and every week it seems that I read about a train accident, or a bus falling off a mountain road, or a freak accident along those lines... or there's the everyday tragedies in Beijing that never go reported and nobody cares. Like people getting hit by cars ALL THE TIME. Lauren and some of my other classmates have seen people run over by cars. Nobody stops to help or anything, people just keep driving or walking, whatever. Traffic laws are a joke and nobody gets in trouble for running a red light or just driving whenever and wherever you feel like. People tailgate closer here than I stand to some people when I'm talking to them, and I have seen the riskiest, most daring, most reckless driving here. People don't care about their cars or their safety so much as getting to their destination. Nobody wears seatbelts and when you cross the street you are ALWAYS doing so with the knowledge that you are in fact risking your life. And as I said, if you get hit by a car, poor you. If you call for an ambulance for somebody in an emergency, the ambulance dispatcher will only send a vehicle if you can guarantee a form of payment upon their arrival. A classmate witnessed a man having a grand-mal seizure and the ambulance wouldn't come because it was unsure who would/could pay. This is what happens when you have the world's largest population: people stop mattering. In Beijing you will get a ticket for parking your car in the wrong spot, but NOTHING happens if you hit a person with your car. NOTHING. I have confirmed this with all of my Chinese friends. These kinds of things terrify me.
It's time to come home. I know I get irate about the state of our health care system in the US, but at least I know that if there's a medical emergency, somebody will come to my aid - in the US the payment problems are left until after they save the person's life. But then there's always the people who don't seek medical care when they need it because they can't afford it, and that problem's the same in the US and in China.
I only have a few more days here and it feels weird. I am so excited to see my mom and Jake and Kev, and to finally be home again, but at the same time, I don't know what life is going to be like when I return. China changes you. That's for certain, if nothing else is.
1. numerous and continued outbreaks of violence in Tib*t and Sichuan provinces, among others,
2. Olympics-related world drama,
3. the freak blizzard that turned many parts of China into disaster areas for several weeks
4. the recent earthquake in Sichuan that has killed thousands of people,
5. this new disease epidemic: EV71, which has already killed thousands of people
And then there's me with my bad luck in terms of health: I have had my fair share of infections, ranging from something like pneumonia, to a major infection in a blister on my foot, to an infection from shaving my armpits in less-than-ideal conditions (my dorm room bathroom!), and these mishaps have cost me majorly in US dollars, but at least I'm still alive. My minor concerns are nothing compared to what I see and hear about everyday here.
In light of this, I think it's time I get out of here before anything else happens, to me or to China in general. But at the same time I feel like China's so big and has so many people that bad things like this are so common and are bound to affect many people, but the rest of the world rarely if ever hears about these tragedies. For example, I follow the China Daily, the English-language newspaper of China, and every week it seems that I read about a train accident, or a bus falling off a mountain road, or a freak accident along those lines... or there's the everyday tragedies in Beijing that never go reported and nobody cares. Like people getting hit by cars ALL THE TIME. Lauren and some of my other classmates have seen people run over by cars. Nobody stops to help or anything, people just keep driving or walking, whatever. Traffic laws are a joke and nobody gets in trouble for running a red light or just driving whenever and wherever you feel like. People tailgate closer here than I stand to some people when I'm talking to them, and I have seen the riskiest, most daring, most reckless driving here. People don't care about their cars or their safety so much as getting to their destination. Nobody wears seatbelts and when you cross the street you are ALWAYS doing so with the knowledge that you are in fact risking your life. And as I said, if you get hit by a car, poor you. If you call for an ambulance for somebody in an emergency, the ambulance dispatcher will only send a vehicle if you can guarantee a form of payment upon their arrival. A classmate witnessed a man having a grand-mal seizure and the ambulance wouldn't come because it was unsure who would/could pay. This is what happens when you have the world's largest population: people stop mattering. In Beijing you will get a ticket for parking your car in the wrong spot, but NOTHING happens if you hit a person with your car. NOTHING. I have confirmed this with all of my Chinese friends. These kinds of things terrify me.
It's time to come home. I know I get irate about the state of our health care system in the US, but at least I know that if there's a medical emergency, somebody will come to my aid - in the US the payment problems are left until after they save the person's life. But then there's always the people who don't seek medical care when they need it because they can't afford it, and that problem's the same in the US and in China.
I only have a few more days here and it feels weird. I am so excited to see my mom and Jake and Kev, and to finally be home again, but at the same time, I don't know what life is going to be like when I return. China changes you. That's for certain, if nothing else is.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Earthquake and other news
So the TBC staff told us all to send word home that we are okay because you will probably worry because there was a major earthquake in China. However, the affected city, Chengdu, is 1000 miles from here, and though I did visit it once, I am safe and far from that place. I can't imagine what it looks like now, that place is HUGE, and it sure has had "bad luck" this year first with all the angry Tib*tan activities, and now this? Oh my god, and I just thought of this, Chengdu is where the giant research and breeding center is for the pandas!!! I HOPE THE PANDAS ARE OKAY!!!
In other news, finals week is upon me and I have been busy as of late trying to see everything and also finish my papers and study Chinese. However, I will be boarding the plane on Monday May 19th, which is now officially a week away! This past weekend I visited the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace (in the same day...) and tomorrow I'm FINALLY going to the Forbidden City after my Chinese written final. I should have gone much sooner but it kept being cancelled because of rain.
Over the (Chinese)Labor Day holidays, I went with some Chinese friends to Jinzhou in Liaoning Province. We hung out at this amazing hotel right by the ocean. My friend Qi Xu has a good friend that is a big guy in the government of that region, so we didn't have to pay for anything. I have now seen first-hand the perks of the Chinese government... I won't say I wasn't intimidated. The whole time I felt a bit awkward letting this Chinese government man and his assistant pay for everything and show us around their city. Oh well, the hotel was amazing, but the food was NOT. I was stuck for four days in "seafood capital, China" let's call it. If you know me, you know of my fear of aquatic life, which extends to seafood. Needless to say I was very hungry and nauseated at meal times. We went to the beach early in the morning and the tide was low, so there was like this peninsula land-bridge thing that we walked out onto, and we took a boat to an island. We also saw various museums (I've had my lifetime limit of Chinese museums now), and we went shopping, during which time I stocked up on Pepsi Light (the inferior cousin of Diet Pepsi). The train we took to and from Beijing was very nice indeed, and super-fast, unlike the sad little train we took to the Great Wall at Qinhuangdao.
I can't wait to be done with these papers and tests. My plane is departing from the newly opened Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport, and it's said to be the largest terminal in the world. The airport was big to begin with, but it was operating at full capacity and they needed more space before the Olympics... should be an interesting sight to see, anyways.
In other news, finals week is upon me and I have been busy as of late trying to see everything and also finish my papers and study Chinese. However, I will be boarding the plane on Monday May 19th, which is now officially a week away! This past weekend I visited the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace (in the same day...) and tomorrow I'm FINALLY going to the Forbidden City after my Chinese written final. I should have gone much sooner but it kept being cancelled because of rain.
Over the (Chinese)Labor Day holidays, I went with some Chinese friends to Jinzhou in Liaoning Province. We hung out at this amazing hotel right by the ocean. My friend Qi Xu has a good friend that is a big guy in the government of that region, so we didn't have to pay for anything. I have now seen first-hand the perks of the Chinese government... I won't say I wasn't intimidated. The whole time I felt a bit awkward letting this Chinese government man and his assistant pay for everything and show us around their city. Oh well, the hotel was amazing, but the food was NOT. I was stuck for four days in "seafood capital, China" let's call it. If you know me, you know of my fear of aquatic life, which extends to seafood. Needless to say I was very hungry and nauseated at meal times. We went to the beach early in the morning and the tide was low, so there was like this peninsula land-bridge thing that we walked out onto, and we took a boat to an island. We also saw various museums (I've had my lifetime limit of Chinese museums now), and we went shopping, during which time I stocked up on Pepsi Light (the inferior cousin of Diet Pepsi). The train we took to and from Beijing was very nice indeed, and super-fast, unlike the sad little train we took to the Great Wall at Qinhuangdao.
I can't wait to be done with these papers and tests. My plane is departing from the newly opened Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport, and it's said to be the largest terminal in the world. The airport was big to begin with, but it was operating at full capacity and they needed more space before the Olympics... should be an interesting sight to see, anyways.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Gimme a Break!
Gotta love getting emails like this from the US Dept of State:
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Travel Alert
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEBureau of Consular Affairs
This information is current as of today, Mon Apr 28 2008 09:44:50 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time).
China
April 25, 2008
This Travel Alert updates U.S. citizens about security issues in China and advises American citizens traveling or residing there to be alert to their surroundings and exercise caution at all times. This Travel Alert expires on October 31, 2008.
Any large-scale public event such as the upcoming Olympic Games may present an attractive target for terrorists. There is a heightened risk that extremist groups will conduct terrorist acts within China in the near future. In light of these security concerns, U.S. citizens traveling in China are advised to use caution and to be alert to their surroundings at all times, including at hotels, in restaurants, on public transportation and where there are demonstrations and other large-scale public gatherings. Consistent with our standard advice, American citizens are urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations.
In accordance with these security concerns, Chinese authorities have increased security in China's airports during recent months. For example, Chinese airport authorities recently implemented tighter restrictions on taking liquids, aerosols, or gels aboard flights in carry-on baggage. Such restrictions may apply to food, cosmetics, toiletries and medicine. Travelers should contact their air carrier before their flight to determine the precise regulation in place.
American citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. For additional information, please refer to “A Safe Trip Abroad” found at travel.state.gov.
U.S. citizens planning travel to China should regularly check the Department’s Country Specific Information for China at travel.state.gov for the latest safety and security information, including the updated Olympics Fact Sheet, as well as the U.S. Embassy Beijing website at beijing.usembassy-china.org. Americans planning travel to China are advised to register their presence with the U.S. Embassy at travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.
As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats t.o U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its consular information program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or from other countries on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.
This Travel Alert is being issued to update U.S. citizens to safety and security concerns.
___________________________________________Yet another attempt to keep US citizens ignorant and in fear of China. Don't go to the Olympics? No, they don't want you to come to China because if you spend any real time here you'd realize that China isn't nearly as bad as they want you to think. The US has hosted the Olympics countless times and they never told us to leave then... plus, I think all Western countries have a predisposed bias against China because of the Western repulsion towards communism. Ever since WWII, the West has HATED any and all countries that have any kind of government that is socialist or communist in nature. China's not a threat to us, guys. This isn't the Cold War anymore.
And one more thing. I want people over there, all comfy and ignorant in the US, to STOP PRETENDING THEY KNOW WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE IN CHINA. People are whining "boycott the Olympics... China's bad, etc etc etc" without really knowing anything. All they know is the Western side of the story concerning Tibet. The only reason the West is so outraged about Tibet is because the country involved is communist and communism is always seen as evil and threatening. What we are currently doing in Iraq is no less inhumane than what outrages everyone about Tibet. But because it's the US instead of China, it's not seen that way. In reality we went in there and attempted to destroy their culture and government because it was seen as a 'threat' to us - the SAME idea that the West believes fueled China's invasion of Tibet.
Human rights violations? Is that REALLY why the US and the Western world is so determined to hate China? No, in reality China is communist and has the largest population in the world - two factors that make it very threatening to us. Furthermore, China is developing rapidly and becoming more and more influential and powerful in the world. This is why all of the sudden we have all of these calls to boycott China and the Olympics. Once the Olympics arrives, people from all over the world will pour into China, look around and realize "hey, this isn't as terrible as they say" and return to their countries with positive reports of China. God forbid anybody LIKE China. I assure you, China cannot be equated with its government. Chinese people are not all evil communists, as the West might like to think. The people are just like you and I. You cannot associate a government with the people in general. The Chinese people didn't choose this - it just kind of 'happened' back in 1949. Now they can't do anything about it, but they know and readily admit the flaws of their own government. I see it like this: I don't want people from other countries associating me and US citizens with the US government and its many flaws, so I will offer the same treatment to other people.
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