Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Hello!

Ok! I've finally gotten access to blogspot. This censorship thing is definitely a challenge to get used to. After struggling to find a free proxy server or vpn (verified private network), I ended up paying $30 to have access to a VPN for 3 months. Basically, it allows me to access a private network based in San Francisco so I can surf the web freely. Thank goodness.

SO

I have been here for one week now. The flight here was incredibly long. 1.15 hr to Newark, then just short of 14 hrs to Beijing. Thank goodness for the in-flight entertainment of on demand movies and tv shows. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I somehow made my way through the Beijing airport, past the disease inspection, visa checkpoint, baggage claim, and customs, and met my 6 fellow CIEE program members. We were all shipped off to drop our things at the dorm, then met Dan, our program director for dinner. I think we had some Tibeten food that first night, but to be honest, I'm not sure. Since, we've eaten out almost every meal. Last night, my dinner cost 2 US dollars. About 16 yuan. It's going to be a rude awakening when I return to the states and have to pay an arm and a leg for my food. Ah well.

We arrived just in time to close out the Chinese New Year and celebrate Tibetan New Year. The fireworks are neverending, and quite frankly, I am very sick of them. They have been set off every night since I've been here, usually right outside of my room until past midnight. In theory, you are only allowed to use them between 7pm and midnight, but no one enforces that. I think the stands are finally beginning to sell out, though. To celebrate the last day of Chinese New Year, we were invited to one of the professor's homes to make jiaozi (dumplings). We spent the evening attempting to communicate in our broken Chinese, learning a bit of Tibetan dance, watching magic tricks with American "bicycle" cards, and preparing the jiaozi. The family was incredibly hospitable and friendly. For Tibetan New Year, we went to another family's home to eat baozi (also dumplings). Delicious :)

We spent Wednesday evening through Sunday doing orientation activities. Registration, campus tours, paying fees, taking the Mandarin placement test. I definitely know MUCH less Mandarin than I thought I did. It's one thing to practice vocabulary words and use them in a sentence, but when a local Beijinger speaks to you, things are completely different. I'm beginning to get used to using the few words I know to communicate, but I am basically illiterate for the time being. Luckily we are all very eager to learn the language and have lots of tutoring and speaking opportunities (along with 4 hours of Mandarin class a day!).

The first weekend we traveled about 2 hours north of Beijing to a slightly quieter section of the Great Wall (Mutianyu). It was absolutely beautiful. The day was a bit hazy and chilly, but with the thousands of steps we climbed, the wind was very much appreciated. We spent about 5 hours hiking the wall, and returned to our tiny rural "hotel" where we slept on a marble slab. Literally. The 6 of us (all women) slept 6 abreast on a big flat piece of stone covered with a few old comforters. And yes, all that you hear about toilets being nothing but holes in the ground is quite true. We are lucky to have real toilets in our apartments, but at all public bathrooms and most local restaurants, you must squat. We also were so lucky to have a photo of a naked asian woman on our bathroom wall. Complimentary, of course.

Now, on to the FOOD. Apparently, people in China don't cook much. At least not students. Like I said before, dinner usually costs around 2 US dollars. For lunch today, I had 2 large servings of jiaozi and baozi for 4 yuan each. Less than 2 US dollars. I have been eating breakfast in my apartment, but we all find something fun for lunch and dinner. We are in a great location, with restaurants and grocery stores lining the streets. We are also just about a 10 minute walk from the subway, which is incredible efficient, clean, and easy. Everything was revamped for the Olympics in 2008 so it's easy for those who don't speak Mandarin to navigate.

Sunday night, I met with a friend from the states who took me around his area of the city. It was quite refreshing to spend time with people who are familiar with Beijing and are bilingual. I definitely would recommend studying some Chinese before moving here! It is possible to figure things out, but unless you are in an extremely touristy or student populated area, you will find very few people who understand any English.

Classes began on Monday, and are going very well so far. At Minzu Daxue (Minzu University), there is a huge school of international education, so all of the international students take Mandarin together. My class has students from the US, Nepal, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, and a few others. Our teacher speaks very little English so we must speak almost entirely in the little Mandarin that we know.

As for dance, I meet with Willy Tsao on Friday. He is the artistic director of LDTX, and we will try to figure out how my schedule will work with the company. Looking at things now, it seems impossible, but after speaking with Dan, we are determined to make things work. Thank goodness for the subway! I will write again once we have had our meeting.

OK, I'm going to cut it there for now. Things are going really well here in Beijing. I am so happy that I was able to make this trip work, and am so excited to spend the next 4 months here.

Again, send your addresses :)

Monday, February 15, 2010

Hey World!

Well folks, the day is finally here. I take off in a few hours, and to be honest, the sheer reality that I will be landing an a non-English speaking country in less than 24 hours has not hit me yet. My mom asked me tonight if I knew who was meeting me at the airport. I said that I assume someone from my program will be there holding a sign. But suppose they weren't? Suppose I find myself completely lost with no idea where to go. I do anticipate a few of these moments, but hopefully they will be few and far between!

I have managed to pack both of my bags under 50lbs and am ready to go! Let's hope customs lets me through. :) I'm also going to be crossing my fingers for as little precipitation as possible. Snow always has a way of mucking up my travel plans. Knock on wood.

Last, please send me your addresses (unless you have already). I will be writing lots of postcards:)


Rachael Elliott
CIEE Room 101, Building #8, College of International Education
The Minzu University of China
27 Zhong Guan Cun South Ave
Beijing 100081


Take care guys!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Importance of Imagination...and 8 days until my departure!

Take the next 20 minutes to watch JK Rowling's 2008 Harvard commencement speech, The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination. It was first introduced to me by the most honest and passionate professor I have had the pleasure to experience, Gay Lynch. If you prefer, you can read the text here.

http://harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination



J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.



As my departure rapidly approaches, this ability to empathize, to forge human connection is ever-present in my thoughts. I have been living at home in Massachusetts for almost two months now, and though I do love spending time with my family, I feel quite disconnected from a community. I am so used to a constant barrage of opinions and messages from friends, peers, teachers, street dwellers, my elders, and co-workers, it has been peculiar to have such a long period of "calm". Though vacation is quite important in order to maintain sanity, I am entirely ready to reengage in a community and begin a new phase of my life.

Tonight, I sat at my computer screen for upwards of two hours, reading through months of an old teacher's blog posts. His son was afflicted with an undiagnosed chromosomal disorder, and after a long battle and almost daily hospital visits, he passed away at the age of 3 years 8 months. Reading the blog entries of this devoted father was both heartbreaking and joyous. The incredible amount of hope he, his wife, and older son sustained throughout Errol's short life was insurmountable. Along with each grim diagnosis shared on the blog, he posted a beautiful picture of his little boy with a face full of laughter and joy. One of the most wonderful parts of reading Errol's story was the emergence of an incredible amount community involvement. Neighbors and friends stepped in to help this small family in every way possible, which allowed them to savor the special moments together instead of worrying about the awful debt that was building up. Once again, the power of imagination and human empathy.

"Sometimes when I see Errol in pain, straining for breath, miserable, pulling at his tubes, suffering, I wonder if we are doing the right thing to work so hard to save him. I wonder if there is enough light in his life to outweigh the suffering. But if I step out of the PCICU tunnel and look at just one picture of Errol smiling, the wondering stops.

Before the last surgery, I thought we were going to lose Errol. I thought: this is the best person I've ever known (sorry Katie Couric), he's achieved enlightenment, he's spreads joy to all. What a huge pity to lose such a rare and blissful light.

The snow is starting to melt outside. It will be a long time here at the hospital but one day we will step out into the sunlight and Errol will look up to us and smile."




PS. I received the scholarship from the Foundation for Asia Pacific Education! An application of about 5 different essays puts you in line for $500-$1500 in scholarship, and I was awarded $1500! A wonderful bit of news that puts me a bit more at ease financially. Hopefully my credit card will stay at a balance of $0 :)