Cross Cultural Psychology: Media Analysis Paper: Perspectives of Animal Agriculture Welfare

In the order of my papers for my cross-cultural psychology class this paper came second, the paper on my trip to the animal rights activist meeting was the third and final in the class. As you can tell this is an issue that I find interesting because I made it two of my three papers. This is a media analysis paper and I took a different perspective, how a certain media group infiltrates the media and that's how stereotypes are formed. I am by no means saying that this only happens in animal agriculture, this happens in every corner. My classes in PR and journalism have taught me everyone wants to get their 15 minutes of fame- this is just one example that I chose to take that and expand upon. Enjoy!

Media has the ability to form and perpetuate stereotypes within a society. But the media is not one entity that stands alone. It is made of many different sources and outlets. While news media’s goal is to achieve objectiveness this is often close to impossible since it is human nature to form opinions and journalists are not robots. Another weakness in news media is its susceptibility to being used or manipulated. Often times a certain group will try to make something as newsworthy as possible so that it can be presented to a large audience for free. The interception of news media, newspaper, television broadcast and Internet, also have the ability to form and perpetuate stereotypes, especially if only one side of the story is being told. As a major in agriculture journalism, I have gained knowledge about journalism and news media; growing up on a diversified crop and livestock farm I have the perspective of a farmer and attend numerous speeches and lectures every year that discuss the issue of the public’s lack of faith in the agriculture industry. I have seen what the agriculture industry has been going through and what animal rights activists see as the solution, but I think the real solution lies on the path that has yet to be walked down.

            On November 4, 2008, 63% of Californians voted yes on proposition 2, the Standard for Confing Farm Animals. This proposition eliminated cage confinement for egg laying hens, gestation crates for sows, and veal crates (Smart Voter: League of Women Voters). In the 1920’s the Great Deal included a program that paid farmers not to farm or produce more crops or animals because there was a huge surplus, at the time. The government began using subsidies, which guarantees a base price on their commodity and the difference between the market price and base price is what the government pays out. In order to make the most money, one needs to have as many crops/animals produced as possible. Hence the rise of the ‘factory farms,’ a phrase coined by animal rights activists. Now most agriculture producers are on the large scale because smaller farmers have gone out of business and now work elsewhere.

A majority of egg production comes from California; the ugly part is actually for the consumer. Unless the factories move to other states, the cost of eggs will go up, along with the price of pork (gestation crates are used so sows don’t roll over and squash their piglets. For farmers, cattle prices will decrease because similar to the horse ban, there will be no market for veal so they will become worthless and no one wants to buy a worthless product. Issues such as proposition 2 that are having a huge impact on the agriculture industry are stemming from the infiltration of media and the stereotypes being conveyed by specific interest groups. One organization that has been successful at manipulating the media and using it to gain mass support for the issues is the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

This HSUS is not associated with local humane societies, but instead is a non-governmental organization that boasts as being “the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection organization- backed by 10 million Americans, or one if every 30” (HSUS). Their annual budget received through donations was “$103 million, more than double the 1996 annual budget of $42 million” (HSUS).

Stereotypes concerning animal welfare include animals being confined to spaces so small that they are physically unwell and animals are treated roughly, being abused physically and mentally. Often times the situations that make it to the media, even if they are the exception to the rule and not how every confinement plant treats their animals. For example, the Hallmark case where downer cows were being slaughtered for meat consumption made headlines but no one showed a balance to the negative, such as a confinement plant that follows correct, humane procedures. A story much have a high degree of newsworthiness to be published and often agriculture is not seen as newsworthy because only a few percent of the entire population feel they are involved in the agriculture industry, even though most jobs have something to do with the food and fiber industry. When something as alarming as the Hallmark case occurs and only one side is shown, the consumers are ignorant since they have not been provided balanced information and don’t have reason to assume there are differences between confinement operations. This is an example of how the media has accepted the stereotypes of confinement operations and report nothing different. Also, people view animal welfare differently based on the degree to which they are in contact with animals.

A 2008 study by Velde, Aarts and Woerkum about animal welfare perceptions of farmers and consumers found that farmers view animal welfare as having enough food, water and space to be productive in growth, while consumers think that animal welfare means that an animal feels good mentally as well as physically and is happy. Both groups are charged with “functional ignorance” because neither side is attempting to learn more about animal welfare, often because they are not aware of solutions to problems that may arise. As a conclusion, the authors view that a domestic contract does exist and that the question should change from, ““Is there a domestic contract?” to “On the basis of whose values and norms should the contract be formulated?”… A public debate could enhance the development of norms and what I acceptable and what is not.”

One of the main social issues with animal welfare is that each side treats the issue as a win-lose rather than a compromise. If the different sides start to communicate and share with one another their perspective then I believe a solution could be made that is acceptable to society, farmers and consumers alike.

According to a 2004 study by Winders and Nibert, “As a result [of overproduction of crops], farms organizations and the state promoted “meat” production and consumption as a way to alleviate surplus. To handle this expansion, intensive and industrial methods reshaped “meat” production, resulting in more oppressive living conditions for animals raised as “meat.”(76)” This study linked market demand and government policies as the cause for animal oppression. While valid points are made throughout the article, it is in a very slanted tone that is concerned with animal welfare. Again, it is the slanted tone that can form people’s opinions for them without providing them balanced information in an even tone that allows the consumer to form their own opinion. While this article is well researched, it is often easy to find research and information that matches our own opinions, while ignoring opposing positions. This shows that not only does a conversation about animal welfare needs to take place, but both sides need to be willing to truly listen to one another to create a compromise. It may be difficult for each side to respect and fully understand what the other is saying, but it is imperative if the issue is ever going to be resolved.

References

The Humane Society of the United stae and Doris Day Animal League Announce Merger and Join Forces to Enhance Work for Animals / The Humane Society of the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2008, from http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases /hsus_doris_day_animal_league_merger.html.

Proposition 2: Standards for Confining Farm Animals- California State Government. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2008, from http://www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/ca/state/prop/2/.

Velde, H., Aarts, N., Woerkum, C. (2002). Dealing with Ambivalence: Farmers’ and Consuemrs’ Perceptions of animal welfare in livestock breeding. Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Ethics, 15, 203-219. Retrieved October 20, 2008, from the PsychInfo database.

Winders, B., & Nibert, D. (2004). Consuming the Surplus: Expaning “Meat” Consumption and Animal Oppression. The International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 24(9), 76. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from the ProQuest database. 

Help! I've Been Robbed!!!

After working an 8 hour shift waitressing, I head to my car to go home- only to find out that my drivers window is missing and so is my purse.

Here are some fast and easy ways to prepare for the worst:

*Make photocopies of the front and back of all credit and debit cards, social security card, drivers license, checks and any other important cards or information you carry in your purse, car or wallet. Have a copy at your house and a backup with a parent.

*Save the emergency number on the back of all credit cards in your cell phone so if stolen, the card or account can be shut down quickly. Hopefully before the thief tries to use the information

*Check your credit for free once a year. At http://www.ftc.gov/freereports there is a link to get your free annual credit report. Check credit once a year regardless of whether or not you suspect anything- it is always nice to see what the car dealership or bank see when they run your credit.

These are tips that I have both heard about and learned the hard way. I got my purse stolen last winter from my car. I was parked underneath a street light in a restaurant parking lot surrounded by other cars and my driver’s window was busted out. The policeman who responded to the call told me that a few other purses had been stolen from cars that night at other near by restaurants. I had copies of all of my cards from when I had been abroad so I called my parents and we each began to call the 1-800 numbers and either close or put a freeze on all of my accounts. The banks track whenever someone tries to use a card and about a week later none of my cards or checks had been used. I was mainly irritated that my brand new purse was stolen but I had absolutely no cash in that purse, not even a penny. I was able to laugh in the end when I knew my credit wasn’t in danger and the burglar got nothing. If there is a next time, I might not be that lucky.

To learn more about credit/identity theft check out these helpful websites:

http://www.fightidentitytheft.com/

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

Dining Etiquette

Tonight I went to a CAFNR Dining Etiquette session and was served a four course meal. Every one was wearing business professional outfits as we were taught how to act in a formal dinner setting. 

Over the years I have been to many dinner etiquette sessions but I always learn something new at each one. For the first time I learned how a host in a formal dining experience should act, which was really nice because no one has ever discussed that with me before and I feel that is something I will use in the future. 

For our Southwestern themed four courses we started with a thick soup that was delicious and had a hint of taco seasoning, although I am sure they didn't use spices out of a packet. Our second course, a salad served with a corner of taco shell included small diced, seasoned tomatoes, spiced corn and black beans. For the main course we were served a scoop of purple tinted mashed potatoes with slices of steak on top of the potatoes forming a teepee shape and topped with long green beans with a steak seasoning sauce on the bottom. Our final course was a dessert; a small apple dumpling served with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream. 

The event was sponsored by Helena Chemical Company so I was able to save $10 on my meal and only had to pay $12.50, which fit into my budget quite nicely!

The night was fun because or main speaker, Chef Jett, was full of great tips and random stories. Chef Jett had a lot of great stories to tell when it came to serving military officials all over the world while he served in the Navy. About six or seven of the tips we learned were accompanied with tales of losing his bread plate to a higher ranking officer and serving a tissue to a Korean officer on a plate, among others. He also had the occasional fact about skunks: did you know a skunk can spray with accuracy up to 10 feet? It can spray up to 16 feet but only in a general direction! (He claimed he had some time in the dessert and Wikipedia became a great way to kill time.) 

Chef Jett had a great sense of humor and has been all around the world, with it all starting on the dairy farm where he grew up, in the middle of nowhere. I have been to several dinner etiquette sessions over the years but this was by far one of the most entertaining. I also think that always smiling or laughing and the fun side stories will help me to remember some of the information he gave our group. 

One final fun fact learned from Chef Jett: Tips (what you leave a server after paying for the meal) stands for: To Insure Prompt Service. There is still a debate between the French and English who created the tradition, but it started when someone had extra coins and left them on the small plate their tea sat on, the waiter came to understand that money was for him or her and would fill their drink more promptly than the other guests. That was a fun fact of the day!

A little action for my blog :)

It has been a hectic semester to say the least! I thought things would slow down when September ended; I can't believe I lied to myself like that. While things just now are looking like they might ease up a bit, I now know to have my doubts. 

I haven't had much of a chance to blog since the beginning of the semester so I went ahead and put up a few papers I have done for some of my classes. 

The Science article is from attending Saturday Morning Science for extra credit in my BioChemistry class. It is supposed to be one page on what you found interesting and what was confusing. 

The other two pieces are articles I wrote for my Agriculture Journalism Field Experience class. We went to Northwest Missouri for a weekend and toured a coal plant, ethanol plant, wind farm, CRP farmland, a 100-year family farm and edible white corn farm among other locations. We turned in our final papers Tuesday and had a "Overly Mellow Dramatic" awards ceremony. Award ranged anywhere from a rubber chicken to Cheetos. I received the best gift of everyone- duck tape! Let's just say when in is the firs destination of the morning and you won't be getting back to the hotel until late that evening and you have an unexpected rip, it never hurts to have a little duck tape! It made me smile, especially the part where it was party used- that made it even better! :)

As preparation for the trip we learned to write science based stories that could be very complicated and put them in easy to understand newspaper format. It was a great learn-to-do-by-doing experience and I learned a lot from it. The electricity path and switchgrass articles were both done before we went on our big three day trip, 6am Friday - 8pm Sunday. I did my final story on CRP and will have that posted in the next few weeks. I am really happy with how the paper turned out and excited about adding it to my portfolio. 

Hope you enjoy me stories. Have Fun!

Crouching Tiger Beetles, Hidden Dragon Flies: Reflections on How Insects Use Color, Tom Schultz, Denison University

After listening to Mr. Tom Schultz talk about how we see color and how certain use colors to their advantage, I found many things to be interesting. One of my favorites would be the limitation of our ability to see color. While some organisms can only see whether there is light or no light, others can see shades of gray, humans can see an array of colors, and some insects and most birds can see an even greater range of colors than humans. The fact that birds can see ultra violet rays is interesting and not something I would have ever thought about. It was neat learning that damselfly dragonfly have iridescent wings that to us look white but other damselfly dragonflies see ultra violet colors.

I found the concept of wavelength to be a bit confusing, but it kind of cleared up as he went along. The concept that light produces different colors at different wavelengths was hard for me to wrap my head around- the fact that lighting and cell thickness can determine the color of a plant or insect only makes so much sense. I think I am getting confused because I keep trying to relate the idea of wavelength and thickness to other things such as my shirt and I am not sure if the idea transfers over to non-organisms.

Grass in Gas Tanks

A waist high sea of switchgrass, Indian grass, bluegrass, forages and legumes with small yellow flowers in full bloom ripples like waves from the cool breeze with colors jumping out from the bright sun; a great day to be outdoors at the University of Missouri Bradford Farm looking at future biofuels.

            Tim Reinbott, superintendent of the MU Bradford Research and Extension Center, is spearheading a research project on the long-term effects growing various plants for biofuels has on soil quality and content. Reinbott is comparing monocultures plots with only one plant species, like corn, to diverse cultured plots that have three, ten or 18 different legumes, forages and grasses. The idea for this project arose when talk of cellulosic ethanol started to spread. Cellulosic ethanol is made from the dry matter of plants such as switchgrass, Indian grass, bluegrass, forages, legumes and wood.

            The popularity of using these warm season grasses is because they are native to the Midwest and easy to grow. Switchgrass is popular because it establishes quickest, one year, and needs less help, while Indian grass produces more dry matter and therefore more ethanol.

“That’s a really good legume,” Reinbott noted as he picked the yellow flowering plant from the ground and inspected its nitrogen producing knolled roots. By not having to add nitrogen to the soil this lowers production costs and also makes the process “more carbon friendly” because fertilizers are made from petroleum. “When looking at the whole carbon footprint that’s tremendous. We don’t want to design anything with more carbon than before.”

“If you wait until after October to harvest [switchgrass] you won’t lose as many nutrients,” said Reinbott.  When switchgrass dies for the winter, all if its nutrients go to the soil through the roots, which have a large underground system. Corn ethanol is going in the other direction. Ethanol plants are starting to make ethanol out of corn stover including the stalk and leaves, which is that much less nutrients being returned to the soil.

Miscanthus, an ornamental hybrid cross grass, is similar to switchgrass in that its nutrients go to its roots for winter. It has greater growth and therefore biomass potential and would require 1/3 less land than switchgrass. Switchgrass produces four tons of dry mass per acre while Miscanthus produces twelve tons per acre. The downside, being grown in a monoculture miscanthus is not as wildlife friendly as switchgrass. 

“After three years we hope to see a difference in soil properties” said Reinbott, who expects to see a difference in the soil every year afterwards. The time is now. Reinbott’s three-year-old plot will be harvested for the first time this October, giving him data to compare the different types of crops for fuels like ethanol and biofuels and the impact on soil properties over time

“The seeds are just ideal,” said Reinbott as he picks a foxtail from a highly diverse plot. “We’re on the up and front on this wild life aspect. By looking at wildlife we’re staying ahead of the game. We don’t want that to blow up in our face.” Reinbott is working closely with the MU Conservation Department to see which types of plots attract which types and how much wild life. The Conservation Department is concerned about the monoculture plots, which often don’t provide wildlife with the food or shelter they need to thrive.  “Ideally we want to produce as much biofuels as possible but with a more favorable base for wildlife.” By predicting and fixing problems before they occur, Reinbott hopes to have a smooth transition in biomass production for Cellulosic ethanol.

“It’s going to be very intense,” said Reinbott who sees the future of biofuels in the technology rather than new plant sources. Reinbott believes power analysis, which uses a system of heat and pressure to break down biomass to its basic elements, is going to be break through technology in the next five years. Currently, scientists are able to produce 70 gallons of ethanol for every ton of switchgrass, nowhere close to the theoretical 200 gallons per ton.

Another issue researchers are working on is storage. Forages are fluffier than corn and take up more space to store. Reinbott’s next research question, “In October what happens if fuel is stored in the field?” If storage isn’t an issue and little biomass is lost while in the field then farmers can take harvested biomass straight to the ethanol plant. 

Electricity: From the Power Plant to the House

From the power plant or wind turbines to the kitchen light bulb, is the path electricity takes as easy as going from point A to point B? Matt Lucas, a technician at Boone Electric Cooperative, explains the process is a little more complicated.

The electricity used in Missouri either starts in a power plant, wind farm or water dam. Missouri’s two power plants create electricity by burning coal, which heats water to steam. The steam turns turbines and magnets to create electricity. On wind farms the turbines are turned by the wind to produce electricity. Similarly, hydroelectric dams release water that flows through turbines.

            Once the electricity is created it goes to a step-up substation. Missouri has one located in Springfield, which also serves parts of Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Kansas. Here, transformers take the energy, or voltage, and sends it long distances through high voltage transmitters, which can handle the 500,000 volts. Large insulators are used, preventing energy from going to the ground or structure. “They have helicopters and people hanging from ropes maintaining these [high voltage insulters],” said Lucas.

            Energy is lost as electricity flows through the large high voltage poles on their way to a transmission sub-station. At the station, lines from the large poles drop into the transformers where voltage is reduced to 34,500 to 115,000 volts, making it suitable for local use. The voltage is sent out on local use poles. This process will repeat at another transmission sub-station where energy will be reduced to 7,200 to 13,200 volts.

            The next step is residential electric delivery. The electricity reaches a transformer on a pole, ground box, or side of the house. At this local consumer level the meter measures kilowatts per hour used by the house.

“We have to pay for amount of energy we will possibly use,” explains Lucas. Once a year the electric company will project and provide the power plant with their ‘power potential,’ the amount of energy the electric company may possible need. The power plants run non stop and produce the amount of energy outlined in the contract. The electric company is being charged for the electricity that is being produced and on the lines, even if it the electricity not being used.

Missouri currently has three commercial wind farms, all located in Northwest part of the state. Bluegrass Ridge Wind Farm, located in Gentry County, has 27 turbines on 10,000 acres. On average, the farm produces 2.1 megawatts per turbine. Three of those turbines could produce enough energy for 45,000 houses or half the size of Columbia.

The Cow Branch Wind Energy Project, in Atchison County, has 24 turbines covering 7,000 acres with 35 landowners. Each landowner receives supplemental cash, equaling $5,000 per turbine on their property.

Nodaway County’s Conception Wind Energy Project, financed by John Deere Wind Energy, consists of 24 turbines on 7,000 acre with 28 landowners.

There is currently an energy scare among the electric companies. Demand for electricity has increased but sources for energy hasn’t. Electric providers are trying to get consumers to cut back and be more conservative with electric use since there is an energy scare in the state. While they are in the business to make money, they are also wary of the possible energy threat.

“We’ll have to cut back or create new energy because usage is going through the roof,” said Lucas who compared the current energy situation to balancing a checkbook. We either need cut back on our spending (usage) or find a new source of income (energy). In preparation for the possible future energy shortage in Missouri a new cal-burning power plant is being planned for Southern Missouri. A coal plant is being discussed because we have the technology for that. Right now, wind energy is a good idea, according to Lucas, but the technology to lower prices has yet to occur. “When technology catches up, prices drop.” Until that technology is able to catch up with the energy demand in Missouri, coal-burning plants will continue to produce a majority of our electricity. 

I'm Back! :)

It's great to be back in the land of the free. Classes are going great and I am having a wonderful fall semester so far. I hope to publish more posts later on all the great things I have been involved in- needless to say television is a treat and even then it is usually to watch a movie for a class. But I wouldn't trade the experiences for anything- I love staying busy. I have surprised myself how much I can get done in an hour these days! I hope everyone had a great summer and more to come later on Fall 2008. 

Pessimistic or Realistic?

A good friend sent me this article knowing my view of the United States' eventual title loss as the top global power. I want to pass this along to others who may be interested. I have received similar lectures in a few lectures on Political Science and it's going to be quite the roller coaster ride over the next few decades. So tighten your seat belt and let the globalization game begin. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090903302.html?wpisrc=newsletter

One of the best day at the Olympics...

Today was the Gala and yes- it is all it is made out to be. Plus I am kind of famous. Beth and I did end up leading the athletes to their apparatus so I got to lead the way for athletes such as Nastia Liukin (USA), Jonathan Horton (USA), the oldest female gymnast and 5 time Olympian, currently from Germany but previously from Russia, Oskana C., a rhythmic dancer from a country that was formerly with the USSR, and Deferr, a Spanish male gymnast.  I hope to write more on the experience later- but it was a blast! I was told that the MU people who were sitting in the stands yelled my name when they saw me leading some of the athletes- I guess I'm famous now! :) 

It was great to rub elbows with them and get a picture with a few before the job started. It was a little stressful in the beginning but got easier as we went along- although I never was quite sure where to stand, but I did figure out to move for the photographers! One of the Chinese managers was in such awe over Nastia Liukin that he stepped right in front of  photographers who were taking shots like crazy over her, especially when she was doing her tumbling. The photographers were yelling at him and he didn't have a clue so I had to tap him on the shoulder- I don't think he liked being told to move, but I don't like him getting in other people's way, especially when they are trying to do a job. 

My favorite was Jonathan Horton, although I have collected quotes from him previously. He has given some great quotes and is a wonderful person to be around. Some of the other athletes only wanted to talk to other athletes, their coaches, or no one- making them seem a little stuck up, but I can't blame them- the Chinese workers and volunteers were constantly hounding them for pictures and autographs so it must have been bothersome, especially whey they were about to perform in front of a packed arena that holds 18,000 people. My favorite was talking with Shawn Johnson (USA) when she was talking about how crazy it was with everyone trying to get photos- it made going anywhere that much more difficult. She was also a really sweet girl to work with, always smiling and eager to start up a conversation. 

The experience has left me a little tired, but I am so happy I had the opportunity. I was even able to meet some very important people along the way, including the announcer for the evening and one of my favorites, Frank, an Australian worker who managed the technical equipment for the venue. He had a great sense of humor and was always good for a few laughs whenever we bumped into him. 

It was absolutely crazy when the show ended. Volunteers and athletes alike came onto the stage to take pictures and even after the athletes had left, the volunteers were able to look at a few of the apparatus' which was a treat in its own. It was nice to finally get a perspective of what the athletes had been performing on after having watched closely for more than 13 days. It was also a sad departure at the end of the day. We all met back at the ONS office to say good bye to our international managers. Even though we will all continue to work, we will be in different venues now. Sally (Australia), John (USA), Carlyle (India) and Denyse (Canada) were all wonderful people to work for and I hope to meet, or even work with, them in the future. We said farewell to our Chinese counterparts and are all headed out to night for a little celebration now that our work is 'done.' (About half of the group volunteered to continue working at the National Indoor Stadium venue during Handball finals, myself included). 

I hope to add pictures sooner than later- my memory chip filled up about 30 minutes before we left the venue but hopefully I can get the photos somehow! :) 

I hope everyone back home had a great summer- I am actually starting to miss home, even though I am having a blast here. Can't wait to see everyone, I hope you didn't forget me! :)

Gymnastics Gala

Started in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympic Games, the Gymnastics Gala is the third most sold out even of the Olympics, after opening and closing ceremonies respectively. It combines talent with entertainment, featuring gymnasts that medalled, dancers, rhythmic gymnastics and Chinese pop stars this year. Working in the venue, we get the option of attending the Gala tomorrow. 

My good friend Beth is fluent in French and translated some papers from French to English for the commentator. To show his gratitude, he offered her two seats to sit with him at the Gala. Quite a treat- the best seats in the house. Beth offered me her second seat so we met with the man today to iron out the details about tomorrow (Wednesday 20th). I saw the seats he was offering us- right on the floor, where judges would sit! We then talked to his boss who is basically running the show and gets the last say. She offered us the job of leading the athletes from the warm-up hall to their correct podium. The lights will be dimmed so most likely we won't be seen on TV, but having never seen a Gala and not being 100% sure what is going to happen- I am crossing my fingers that someone back home will see me! :) So we were bumped from the best seats in the house to escorting the gymnastics medallists! Beth didn't even know who she was translating for when she was offered the task! Crazy how things work out- but I am super excited and am going to bed now so that I can be well rested for tomorrow- I can only imagine the excitement! 

The National...

Completely random, but fun- I enjoy visiting different countries and hearing about their National... 

The National drink of Morocco is Green Tea- they always serve it to guests as a sign of hospitality and you can tell if it is quality Green Tea depending on if it has bubbles, which is a good sign. It is also sweet and served hot. 

The National plant (possibly flower?) of Scotland is the thistle- and yes I remember seeing some there. 

The National sport of China is Table Tennis- and they are hard core. I remember that in the first few weeks of training at our venue there were a couple of tennis tables set up so the Chinese workers could play during their lunch break after they had eaten. 

These make me wonder what the U.S. has dubbed its own. We are normally familiar with the motto, tree, or bird of a state but what about the country as a whole? I am aware that the National bird is the bald eagle- but what other objects embody our culture? I think that by knowing a country's national whatever helps you to better understand that country, its history and what is specific to its culture. I also believe that, if you scratch a little deeper than the surface, you can make discoveries by connecting dots with other information you are aware of. For example, the National sport of China is Table Tennis. Without really knowing the history of the sport I can hypothesize that maybe it is easier for everyone to play, regardless of age, gender or socio-economic standing. Also, I have noticed, especially being at the Olympics, that certain ethnicities are better at certain sports and certain countries are good as well. The fastest runners tend to be black people from developing countries, where as those good at hurdles are black people from developed countries. The best swimmers are white and from more developed countries where they can afford the proper training equipment. Asian cultures dominate at, what may seem to an American, the most random sports: shooting, table tennis, badminton. This is just scratching the surface myself and going off of what I have seen, heard and experienced. I haven't done any research but am interested in the idea of different nationalities or ethnicities being stronger in certain areas due to their genetics and environment (money, mountains, etc). Possibly, what strengths a certain group may have compared to another and why. 

It's kind of funny how in life we go from curious 5-year-olds always asking 'Why?' to young adults who, after years of being told without asking, begin to ask 'Why?' again. Only this time we want answers and if they mean that much to us, we can go out and do the research to find the answers ourselves. 

I can see already this topic has strayed- but I do believe that a lot can be inferred from a National ___. The eagle is very symbolic to Americans and Moroccans have shown me some of the best hospitality ever- I think the green tea represents their hospitable culture more than their love of tea. What else can we learn about a country and what they dub to be National? I hope that I remember this subject and am able to learn more about it. It almost has the feel for a good outline for a speech!

Today's Posts

The following are a few blogs from a few weeks ago. Things have gotten a little crazy with the Olympics starting but I found this that hadn't been posted on the net. Sorry for the delay but here's what I have...

Hey all- I'm getting behind some more. It's harder to blog when pictures won't upload- makes things a little bland. But as you will read, I am having a great time and keeping super busy. Things are about to get crazy. We got special stickers so gymnastics reporters get to be on the Olympic Green during opening ceremonies, watch the show on a big screen and see the fireworks up close. Today is my last day of rest. I have a professor dinner tonight- I will be eating a traditional Chinese meal with a professor from Renmin University. Tomorrow is opening ceremonies and I start work on the 9th (men's qualifications!!!) and 10th (women's qualifications!!!). We have a day off on the 11th and then start again. I turn 21 on Saturday. I work that day and get to interview the US men's team so that is really exciting- no doubt I will have an amazing birthday. Seeing how China has no drinking age I guess I can go out for a drink in American tradition but back to work on the 10th where I get to interview the female gymnast from Poland and other English speaking female gymnasts. This is going to be an intense few weeks and I couldn't be happier. This is what I came to do and am having a blast. I have already signed up to volunteer at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada!

Also, several of the posts are ones that I wrote yesterday during slower times at training so if I am talking in first person it is because I was there. Watching podium practice was amazing!

Podium Training

Today (yesterday) was the last day of training and the first taste of the real thing. I haven't been on an emotional roller coaster that intense since the last speech I gave in April. 

I heard rumor yesterday that today was going to be a podium practice, where the athletes are all here and run through the motiosn of the big day. This includes walking through the mix zone where we get quotes. Knowing this I made sure I had time to do my hari and make up this morning! We got to work and the rumor became reality. The day was divided into 3 sections, just like the real event. My 1st job was to collect quotes from the U.S. Men's Team, who weren't expected to talk until a press conference in the afternoon. After an early lunch our group watched the 1st set of teams practice from the stands. Then went down to the Press Mixed Zone to get quotes. We got a little lost and darn the luck got stuck on an elevator with 3 French gymnasts who were practicing in the afternoon. Every face in the elevator turned red and all the French phrases we knew went out the door, except those of the French gymnasts! 

Once we got to the Mixed Zone we waited around. My nerves hit to roof at the beginning of practice and sky rocketed while waiting for the athletes to walk through. I felt like a 5-year-old waiting for Christmas. Me and Danielle were supposed to work together. She was nervous they would stop and talk and I was nervous they wouldn't! There was a miscommunication at teh higher up level and only three teams ended up walking through. One of them was the U.S. and of course their PR rep shut us down quick and hard but I tried to talk to a straggler into a  "small" quote. I didn't end up getting any words but I did get a smile- at that point I was happy to have gotten that much from both a personal coach and the U.S. Team Captain. I had accomplished my mission- to get a quote and if all else a smile. I want this to be fun for everyone. After that my adrenaline took a downward spiral and it took all I had not to cry in the middle of the Mixed Zone. That was my only chance to get quotes that day, the rest was to be copytaking- typing the quotes that others took. But I am stronger than that, plus I wanted to show my ONS Managers that I could handle anything and I think I did that. I wasn't upset that I didn't get the quote, I knew the whole time I probably wouldn't get one, but I was upset because that was my only chance to interview someone- kind of a catch 22. 

The second round I was more relaxed and by the third round at 8 pm I was getting tired and it was going to take a lot to shake me. My copytaking skills improved a lot during the second round, from my first set of quotes to my third I learned a lot and fixed the mistakes I had made the first time around. The third round I did pretty good, but it was a little more challenging because I was copy-taking quotes from the Chinese students and they had interview an English speaker- wrote the quote down in Chinese and had to translate back into English. Plus they had issues with getting incomplete or no quotes at all and the quotes they did get sometimes had words confused like fit instead of faith. It was harder to get what they were saying. I typed what they said and went back later to check. One of the ONS Managers had been around and had heard so he helped me fix the quotes but there were instances where they had not used the right tense as in had instead of have, which made a difference in the quotes they had taken. It was an extra challenge, but what do you do? I should now be a better copytaker  knowing how to deal with the different students and how they take quotes. I can learn to ask more questions to make sure the quotes are being published in the same context it was said- which overall is more important that getting the quote verbatim. 

Overall, Podium practice was a great experience. The 14 hours flew by quickly and I wish I could have done it today- but they didn't need the extra help, they just wanted me to get rested up. I am starting to really catch the Olympic fever. Choosing this internship came with some give and take and I am so happy I took this opportunity- there is no way this is going to be a negative experience. I am learning so much, and know that I will continue to learn from this experience for the rest of my life. I have been blessed. 

I spy with my little eye...

I saw the perfect body today- in almost 100 different ways! It still amazes me at the physique of a  gymnast. On average, they are shorter and pure muscle. Of all the tricks, maneuvers, and physical capabilities of a gymnast, flexibility is by far the most impressive to me. 

I have trouble keeping my legs perfectly straight and touch my toes. These boys can lift their leg above their chest at any given moment, do flits and twirls in the air then catch themselves hanging from only a bar, and the biggest shock to me- they can do more than a complete split, where their legs end up slightly behind their waist! I hurt for them. 

I will admit, since the first time I watched an Olympic training session, I have been doing daily stretches. I will never be as flexible as an Olympian but to improve my current abilities a little will make me happy. :) 

I will add though that I prefer training practice to podium practice because the boys don't wear shirts! :p It's like watching a Leonardo Da Vinci sketch come to life. I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone who can take a GOD given body and get it to reach its maximum potential without using drugs like steroids. I can't even imagine the time and effort that goes into getting a physique like that, it's not something I will ever accomplish (partly because the height of a female gymnasts career is when she is 16 so I am past my maximum potential age) so I have even more respect for the person who dedicated countless hours and sweat and the inevitable injuries to reach that point. They are Olympians and deserve the title and respect that comes with it. 

Medal Count Perspective

The Olympic medal count has been a topic of conversation since August 9th when medals started being won. The official Beijing Olympic newspaper claims everyday that China is leading the medal count, while they have more golds, the U.S. has more medals. There have been side comments of bribery or thoughts of training athletes rigorously for some years- China has known they would host the Olympics for seven years- enough to train athletes in even the most random sports. The Chinese national pride bubble is getting bigger and more flashy with each passing day and Chinese win where their national anthem can be heard.

This morning I was searching for a medal count when I came across an interactive map that adds a lot of perspective to Olympic hosts and their medal count. It tracks each countries medal count since the 1896 Athens games. (This can also serve as a great history and geography lesson). I quickly discovered a trend- China has been moving higher in the ranks of medal contender for some time now, and more eye-opening than anything else, it has been a trend for 11 out of the 26 Olympics (excluding the current Beijing 2008) that the host country receives the  most medals. So for China to win the most medals or be in the top 3 is no phenomenon or a bribing scandal, but most likely, it is history repeating itself. 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/04/sports/olympics/20080804_MEDALCOUNT_MAP.html?scp=1&sq=medal%20count&st=cse

Mizzou in Beijing

Hey all- I have plans on adding to my blog this evening. I am now getting ready to eat some delicious french toast which I discovered a little over a week ago and, on my day off, am going into work anyways so that I can watch the Women's (Girls- they are too young to be women) Individual All-Around Finals. Yesterday I was able to watch Yang Wei from China take gold as was expected, the surprise silver medalist Uchimura from Japan, and the most unexpected, Caranabe from France who randomly hit all of his marks with one solid routine after another earning him the bronze when no one was even looking for France to medal. 

Now that I have seen the boys it is time for the girls- which generally catches more attention than their male counterparts. 

I hope to blog more later this afternoon about working at the Olympics and being in China. I am also wanting to work on a story for the Ralls County Herald Enterprise and other local newspapers. 

If you are interested in following more about Mizzou in Beijing I highly recommend a visit to 

http://mojobeijing.wordpress.com

This website was created by our professors here and has had tremendous success. There are also links from that page to the individual blogs of others in our group. It is definitely worth checking out. Have Fun!!

Monday 11th in review

I will expand on this blog later but to give everyone a rough over view of what I have been doing I decided to post a little something. 

The past two days of have been hectic and sleep is... well I forget what sleep is because I get so little of it. Yesterday I spent my entire day at the Gymnastics venue watching the Women's Qualifications. It was amazing- there is nothing like seeing teenage women perform very difficult routines on Uneven Bars, Vault, Balance Beam and Floor Routine. Much more to come on that. My shift wasn't until the afternoon but with permission went early to watch because the 1st group included China and Romania, the second had the US team and the third included Russia. My group included Brazil and France, both of which made the finals but were not talked about as much- I was also very tired by the time that fourth round came. 

Getting only 5 hours of sleep last night, I woke up this morning to watch Beach Volleyball- BOCOG had given us free tickets to the event. Of the entire Mizzou group, I was the only person who willingly stayed the entire time until 3pm. Most left around 1pm and some left just after the first match, which started at 9am, ended. I really wanted to stay because when will I get a chance to go to an Olympics again and watch sporting events? I take what I can when I can and can handle sacraficing sleep for Olympics- I can take naps and not go out a few nights. 

After the matches I went to lunch at 3pm with my friend Beth. We ate a 1,000 and one nights- a Middle Easter restaurant that serves great lamb! We then met Ted, Ashley and Laura at the train station and headed on over to The Today Show. It was a great experience- my signs got on TV, I got autographs from the entire Today Show crew of reporters and TV personalities. The best part was getting insight from Ann Curry when she talked with our MU group during commercial break. Her words of wisdom were noted by our group and will not soon be forgotten. My shining moment is that in the last few minutes of the show one of my signs, "Hello Perry MO" is shown in the middle of the screen- I had to give a shout out to everyone back home. We then got McDonald's and pin trading was a part of my whole day. 

I had an amazing day and have so many great memories from just a short period of time. I have to work tomorrow Publish Post morning so I am going to bed now but can't wait to elaborate on my day more. 

Beijing: Different Aspects from Different Angles

Hey all- in case you wanted to look at some other blogs here are some from people on our trip who I know are doing a great job- more to come later this is just a starter list:

Ted is a great friend and amazing professional- no doubt he will go far. 

www.beijingexperience2008.blogspot.com 

I finally turned 21!!!!!

It's been a little over a week since my last blog and go figure I would finally get the chance to blog on my 21st birthday! But don't worry mom- I have some good friends who surprised me with a cake and took me out. They were smart and we went out a few days before everyone had to start working at their venue. My pictures have not been wanting to upload to the internet lately so hopefully I can figure something out in the next few days- blogging is just more fun with pictures.

I have known for more than three years now that I would turn 21 on a Saturday- crazy how that doesn't seem to matter in the end. I spent the evening of the 8th at the Olympic Green and while I was not inside the bird's nest for the Opening Ceremonies, I was right outside of it. By far my favorite part was hanging out with the people who came to watch the ceremonies. Decorated people from all of the world (that almost seems like an understatement) covered the Olympic Green. We got pictures with or of people who were decked out in their nations shirts, flags, face paints, hats and so much more. Meeting those people was so much fun. I also 'worked' so that I could get pictures of the National Indoor Stadium filled with athletes preparing to walk in the Ceremonies. My job consisted of sitting with reporters! We then spent the rest of the evening outside meeting people, watching fireworks and the athletes as they walked from one stadium to the next. It was a great experience and at midnight, I turned 21 on a subway where my friends proceeded to sing happy birthday very loudly!

I woke up today tired but excited. I ate french toast for breakfast (the best ever, it's not served with syrup but doesn't need it!) and headed to the Olympics. Once I got there my nerves went crazy. Today was the Men's Gymnastics Qualifications. I got to see 98 male gymnasts and my job was to interview the US team which was in the first group. I talked with the US team captain Kevin Tan, which was like Fuwa on my birthday cake. Who interviews an olympian on their 21st birthday? Who is at the Olympics on their 21st birthday or even in China for that matter? I was star struck by my own dumb luck for a good portion of the morning. My job lasted from 10am to 1pm but I had had such an amazing experience that I wanted to watch the second round of mens qualifications (there were three divisions). 

I ended up staying at the National Indoor Stadium until 10pm, having McDonald's for supper, and watching the qualifications to the end. Some people would watch the competition from the office but why watch on television what you get to see in real life? I can always watch the Olympics on t.v. but I can't always watch them in real life- that is a once in a life time opportunity. I find it funny that going to an Olympics was never a dream of mine, mainly because I thought it was impossible and I wanted to wish for possible things- it's crazy how the impossible becomes possible when you don't even try. I got to see the key athletes and watch some smile without regret and others cry with broken dreams. Talk about culture- no two people had the same experience today- even as spectators we were from different countries, were different ages and had different expectations. I know what today meant for me, I can only imagine what it may mean to a French pre-teen, Brandon O'Neile who watched his dreams quickly fade, Yang Wei who performed amazingly in front of his home crowd, the Chinese volunteers who wouldn't let us sit in the good seats that were completely empty the whole day, David Durante who watched as all of the US Men's Teams alternates competed, the YMCA group from St. Louis, MO, or the chunky little boy who was bouncing around and screaming. Oh to see the world through the eyes of another. 

I am getting ready to go to bed now. I texted my manager and she said I could come in early tomorrow! I really want to see all of the 'Women's' Qualifications (I don't know if barely 16 counts as a woman) and get a good feel for what is going on. Sure I could sleep but everyone has Monday off while gymnastics takes a break before finals so I can sleep then. I had originally planned to get a long massage today and eat some American food and just relax but who cares? My birthday happens every year, the Beijing Olympics don't. The most entertaining one-liner I have, "I turned 21... and China has no drinking age." 

I am going to try and catch up on some much needed rest so I can be bright eyed tomorrow. There's a good chance I could have a 13 hour day tomorrow- and I couldn't be more excited!

Today's Posts

The blogs I am posting today are general. I took a little different approach to these. I picked a topic and discussed it. The events aren't in any special chronological order but there are topics that I want to tell everyone about so here goes. I hope you enjoy! Have Fun!

Sorry blogspot is not working very well today- it's not letting me add pictures, but I promise- they are on their way, I'm just not sure when they will make it on here. 

Taxi!

Taxi’s in China are something special. The base price is 10 RMB (7 RMB = $1 USD) and then it costs 2 RMB for every kilometer. The most expensive ride I have ever had was when I was leaving the Ya Show market or Bodhi, which cost almost 45 RMB ($7) and that is across town. My favorite taxi experience was actually the first time I rode in one in Beijing. Me and Molly and Erin were riding in a taxi heading to the closest subway station that was open (this was before all of the lines had become available for public use). The drivers phone goes off, he answers it, chats for a bit then hands the phone to me- his friend wanted to practice his English so we talked until I noticed the driver acting really funny and poking a bunch of buttons. I handed him the cell phone back and within 3 minutes the cab coasted to a stop on a overpass bridge- it had died and he pointed to us to walk back from where we came. Now we have a great taxi story and some pictures to go with it! We hailed another cab and it got us there- kind of, we tried pronouncing our destination in Chinese, which was a no-no because it got us in a totally different location but was still close to a subway station and got us closer to our final destination so wasn’t such a bad deal. But that’s one for the blog!

            I will also never forget the nicest taxi I rode in. I was heading to Bodhi and the taxi was super new- the only cab I had ever seen with a sun roof and the driver was amazing- he got me right to the door, which is more than I can say for any other driver. I tipped him a few RMB (like 30 cents) and we were both happy.

            I also enjoy the crappy, sketchy taxis. Most are like regular cars with the outside painted differently but my favorite was getting one where the driver had completely caged himself in- from the people behind him and the person sitting in the passenger seat- it was kind of sketchy but whatever. It’s always an adventure to see what the taxi is going to end up smelling like or whether the driver is going to even know where you want to go. I haven’t had too many problems getting anywhere by taxi since I bought a map at a tourist help station. If they don’t know where our University is by the card we were told to hand them- I can always point to it on my map. One of these days I will ride a taxi in the U.S., but I’m not sure when. I have ridden a cab in New Zealand, Prague and China, but never the U.S. so I don’t have to worry about comparing, for the most part there is nothing to compare it to, but in general- the taxis seem to be about the same regardless of the continent I’m on. 

Guardian Angels

While I know there are hundreds looking after me, (thanks for the prayers, we all know I can be a bit oblivious at times) there are a few that have stuck out in my mind.

            Rodney and Alex were my first helpers. Right after leaving the U.S. Grains Council I was supposed to meet the girls to go shopping and I didn’t have a map of Beijing or the subway station at this time. I saw a Westerner and started to chat with him- mainly asking directions on how to get to the Silk market. We ended up chatting for quite some time, he is an outsourcing consultant, businesses in the U.S. will tell him a product they want manufactured and he matches them up with the right factory in the Beijing area. After a bit his friend, a Chinese guy probably two years older than me showed up and I headed into the subway station and was planning on going to the stop they thought was the right one, they weren’t quite sure though. I went into the subway and after waiting a few minutes Alex and Rodney came down and said they wanted to know where this Silk market was too so they were going to help me find it. We stopped where Rodney thought he was supposed to and Alex would ask around in Chinese if we were in the right place, but typical China, no one knew where anything was at. Finally, Rodney called his wife who knew exactly what subway stop to take and even which exit to use to come up right inside of the building. Rodney said he had been there a few times before but had always been with his wife and just followed her so he never had to know exactly what to do, he just did what she said. We came up into the market and we parted- I went to meet my friends and they left. It was a true pleasure getting to meet both of them and they definitely went out of their way to help me, so that was nice.

            My second guardian angel is my favorite of all so far. On a drizzling day in Beijing, I was off on my own- looking to get a massage and visit the Ya Show market for a bit. My taxi cab driver dropped me off in a location I had never been before and the map I had didn’t have the street I was on labeled so I couldn’t figure out where I was. I would ask for help occasionally and some would point me in a direction and knowing where I was going- nothing looked familiar. My favorite was when I stuck my head in a shop and the girl didn’t even attempt to help me or try to understand. I even had directions in Madrin Chinese but she still gave me this clueless look. I was getting kind of irritated at this point, people weren’t even trying to help.

            I have picked up on how Chinese give directions, they point into a general direction. You are supposed to follow that direction and then ask when you think you’re getting closer and have people keep pointing in general directions until you stumble across it- as opposed to drawing a map with names or landmarks you get a pointing finger. After over an hour of traipsing around lost and clueless as to where I was a few Chinese guards stopped me to try and help- I think, I’m not actually for sure but I don’t think anyone was really going to mess with a disgruntled, wet Julia at that point in time, I’m pretty sure I was wearing my emotions on my sleeve at this point in time. I didn’t have much faith in their help but didn’t have a lot of options. Then out of nowhere a British man asked if he could help me. I told him the market I wanted to go to and he said follow me. It was only a block away but it was such a relief to meet someone who spoke English and understood my situation.

            “I just can’t stand to see people lost,” he told me as we began to walk down the street. I found out he worked in the British embassy in Beijing and knew very little Madrin, he had translators so he never really had to learn. We chatted and he was a great person to vent to. He was the one who explained to me that not all Taxi drivers could read and that the city was developing so quickly that he couldn’t recognize a street he had been on 5 months early because development had happened so quickly, which helped me to understand why I could be a block and a half straight shot from the China Trade Center and an English speaker in a bank couldn’t tell me where I was supposed to be going without having to ask her coworkers if they knew about the building. While my faith in the Chinese wasn’t completely restored, talking to him helped me to understand the culture and people better so that when I am in frustrating situations I know why things might be working the way they are. He pointed me in the right direction and I couldn’t help but look back at the man as he walked away in the opposite direction; where would I be and in what kind of mood if he hadn’t stopped by? I have no doubt he was a guardian angel- someone’s got to be looking after me in those situations. I had been on the brink of giving up ( and doing what I don’t know, but giving up) when he came and fixed everything within a matter of 10 minutes, I don’t know his name and doubt I will ever see him again, but I also doubt I will ever forget him. 

Ouch!

I suffered from the worst blisters I have ever had the first few weeks we were in Beijing. I got my first blisters in between my toes from my thong sandals but that only bothered me for a few days- I started to wear tennis shoes so that fixed that. But the day I went to meet with the U.S. Grains Council to discuss agriculture and the Council’s role in China, I wore my cute and comfy dress shoes. Hindsight bias is 20/20 and I realized the morning I was preparing to leave that I always wear pantyhose with the shoes, but didn’t have any and ASSumed everything would be okay.

            That day I learned that taxi cab drivers don’t know where much of anything is at. I have learned that Beijing has been rapidly developing and to keep up with the growth is impossible and even if you have a paper with an address written in Chinese for taxi cab drivers, there is a possibility that they are illiterate. While he did get me on the correct street, he dropped me off over three city blocks from the building I needed to be at- which I thought would be obvious, the China Trade Center, but I was wrong. By the time I got there my feet were all torn up and I had to call a friend I was going shopping with after my meeting to bring me flip flops- I would have rather dealt with the blisters between my toes than the blisters and both sides of my toes. I had one really bad blister on the inside of my left foot. I got the blister on Wednesday the 9^th and now, on the 29^th, it is still healing. Even wearing tennis shoes was painful for the following week, but I totally forgot about my blisters while I was on the great wall less than a week later- mind over matter.

            I now have a ‘mom’ purse. It has band-aids, triple antibiotic, crackers for a snack or to feed friends that are picky eaters and don’t like the food, Advil, water, a camera for catching those Kodak moments, pens, pencils and paper, wet wipes for sticky situations, and an ipod to block out the craziness! Past that it holds extra batteries, memory chips, a map, sunglasses, my wallet and Chap Stick. Okay- so now I’m wondering if I am like a prepared mom or a messy kid who needs band-aids. If only they were cool looking, maybe Sponge Bob or Disney Princesses instead of ugly brown… 

Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!

Even though the US dollar is become weaker as time passes, comparatively China is still a much cheaper country to buy goods and services. Among my favorites are the transportation, food and especially the massages. For the first time in my life I got a massage and it was nice. I have been going to Bodhi for weekly massages and even though it is an up scale spa with professionals and an impressive list of treatments, a 60 minutes massage is only 95 RMB Monday through Thursday before 5pm (95 RMB is apx. $14). I know that I’m not going to be getting professional massages at spas when I get back home and have at least 4 years of school left so it’s going to be awhile before I can afford weekly massages again so I am going to do enjoy the good life while it fits into my budget.

So far I have been to Bodhi four times and have enjoyed it each and every time. China is a very different culture than what I am accustomed to and can cause a lot of tension. This is by far the hardest country I have ever had to assimilate to and that in its self causes a lot of stress. I think that is a good excuse to get a massage and even if it isn’t, it’s the reasoning I’m using.  Plus, my 21^st birthday is during the first week of the Olympics so it’s like a present to myself with a little extra since I will not get a chance to celebrate my birthday until I get back to school and that’s only after I get caught up with classes, internships, clubs, work and life. By this  point I have thoroughly convinced myself to continue getting weekly massages and I hope you agree.

My favorite part so far has been the older lady who gives me my massages when I go by myself. She is the sweetest little lady and reminds me of a picturesque grandmother figure. Everyone is so nice and it is an amazing escape from the busy city that is always pushing and never looking back- plus I get complimentary drinks and I have discovered my love for hot tea this summer. If you’re ever planning a trip to Beijing, you must stop here- it will be your saving grace! 

Delightfully tacky and absolutely delicious!

I now not only believe but use the phrase, “I go for the chicken wings,” whenever I head to Hooters. So far I have been there three times and that was only in the first two weeks. Nothing satisfies a craving for American food like a spicy buffalo chicken sandwich and curly fries with cheese. It is such a treat for my taste buds to have a positive familiar seasoning and being able to gauge and understand feeling full makes my tummy so happy! I never will forget the time I was eating a bowl of rice with some very sweet and not so sour pork. I stopped eating when I started to feel full but I had eaten too much rice and I could barely stand up straight after it had expanded in my stomach. I could feel my stomach stretching and it did not feel good- I had eaten less than half of the food I was served and it left me miserably full. Since then I have limited my rice intake and attempt to cut back on eating it as well as all sodas except the occasional Sprite.

            Another saving grace and my new best friends are Cold Stone Creamery and Subway sandwiches. Subway is much cheaper here, the average turkey combo meal cost $5 and on Tuesdays in only $3! So you know where I’m eating tomorrow! I never thought I would crave a poor boy sandwich so bad in my life as I did before I went to Subway for the first time. I know get my substantial meal fix and knowing that when I feel full, the food is not going to expand is an equally amazing and comforting experience. Cold Stone is my dairy provider. Diary is not popular in Beijing, this includes milk, cheese and butter. There are times when I get intense cravings for theater style popcorn and I have realized it is because I am craving the butter, they don’t even cook with it here. The popcorn served here tastes a lot like microwavable kettle corn. It is sweet and even then they don’t serve very much. I never thought about living without dairy but I am really missing my daily glass of chocolate milk. In the end, I’m not a hard person to please. As long as I have some lunchmeat, bread and milk I can survive! I have become quite the fan of peanut butter sandwiches though, and that’s not something I eat a lot of back home. But please don’t get me wrong, I will have more postings about Chinese food and it isn’t all bad- I am actual a fan of it for the most part, but after so many Chinese meals, I just want something that is familiar and reminds me of a home. God bless America. 

It’s not where you go but whom you meet

Aussies! A friend and I had just gotten done eating supper one night and some Australians ended up sitting next to us and we began talking. From that evening I acquired my motto for life, “No worries mate, she’ll be alright.” For the most part I am a fairly flexible person so these few words describe my personality. There are times in life when I do stress unnecessarily though and that is when this quotes steps in. It symbolizes who I am and want to be- I don’t like to worry, it takes to much necessary and lets face it, “she’ll be alright.”

            Somewhat along those lines and somewhat completely unrelated, my theme song is “Life is a Highway”. I remember watching Miss America in high school and she was asked and question she never did answer, “What song best describes you and why?” I thought that was the hardest question ever and never could come up with an answer. One week later I was asked that exact question during an interview for an Area FFA Officer and had to go with the first song that came to my mind and was kind of lame. After that I gave it some time and thought and am secure in my final decision.

            I guess the point is: isn’t crazy what we learn about ourselves from others, strangers who we just met, and from random experiences that may seem trivial in several aspects? I have always enjoyed the challenge that traveling has delivered and I accept it willingly. It’s easier to learn more about yourself when your boundaries and limits are being pushed to the max- physically, mentally and emotionally. Going farther and doing better than you have ever done is one of the best feelings ever and I hope to never lose the eagerness to take on a challenge. I am optimistic and naïve, which helps me to live a happy and entertaining life. Being clueless has its perks- when I discover or learn of something new it totally amazes me and I hope to always have that awe and excitement when I learn something. Life is so fun when it all it takes are the little things to completely amaze me. I love the feeling and excitement of realization, it’s just one of the many spices of life. 

And mom said I didn’t pay attention to detail…

So far I have helped to find 3 errors in the INFO system at the Olympics. The first was a team effort; there was no biography for Paul or Morgan Hamm. The two hadn’t been put into the system correctly so this information source for journalist didn’t offer any background on Paul Hamm, who won Men’s Individual All Around at the 2004 Olympics in Athens or his twin brother Morgan Hamm. The second was a minor spelling error in which the system wasn’t being consistent. My biggest discovery ocured while I was copying down information to study later. I realized that the same document was published for the record for Men’s Horizontal bar and Men’s Parallel bar. My ONS manager from Australia, Sally, was really impressed with my find, it was nice to be praised for my attention to detail (ß mom). I spent a good deal of my afternoon using the INFO system to look up information. Even though we had five computers, I was the only person who was consistently researching, but I guess it’s because I know that I’m not good at organizing a study time and since the time had already been set aside for me, I did what I was supposed to, plus it just helps to pass the time. That was my gold star moment for the day- I want to do really good at this Olympics so that I can continue to volunteer for future Olympics, so this was a good moment for me- I just hope I can continue to keep the good work up!

Evening Activities

In Prague, nights were filled with friends and partying. In Beijing, nights are filled with good friends, snacks, cards, chatting and movies. I don’t know if I am getting over the party scene or if Beijing just makes me want to stay inside and hide from the smog and language barrier. I think one of the factors is that I am not hanging around the ‘party’ crowd, but I am making some great friendships this way. I have met some wonderful people and made some friendships that I know will last for years to come. Some of the best nights have been spent ordering in pizza and trying to squeeze nine people around a laptop to watch a movie.

Other great memories have been made room hopping and just talking with different people about different things throughout the night. Sure the rock star party hard nights can be fun, but I am also enjoying my nights in with some good friends, good conversations and good laughs. Some of the most relaxing nights have also been those where I hang out in my room alone, listening to my itunes, playing on my computer and watching episodes of Family Guy on my laptop.

 I think one of the greatest factors for staying in is that going out in Beijing is such work, especially with the language barrier. Traveling is also a pain, to walk anywhere is a minimum 20 minutes and that could sometimes just be getting to a subway station. Earlier a few girls and me were craving ice cream but knew that going to Cold Stone meant committing over an hour of our time in traveling too and from. Also, lets not forget that we are in the dog days of summer and this is our ‘vacation’ so that also helps me from feeling guilty about not doing a lot. It is super humid, hot and polluted outside so going out is an effort. I am just now getting back into the mood of sight seeing. This is still a bit of a hassle because I have not quite assimilated with the culture, nor do I plan to- there are just some differences that are too different from my way of life to do. I will post more on the Chinese culture later, which will add insight to what I am saying. But in case you were wondering- the beer is cheap and good when served cold and while mixed drinks aren’t that cheap they are the strongest I have ever had. 

Prince Gong Mansion

Our last stop of the day was the Prince Gong Mansion, owned by the brother of Emperor Gong. Beside his property he had a building made that was 160 meters long to keep all of his treasure inside. This also showed how much wealth he wanted to obtain. The mansion with a huge outdoor garden landscape was decorated using feng shui. The first thing you see at the entrance is a rock that looks like a fish, which is the symbol for treasure so he kept it to help him acquire more. Also, if you look at the rock from a different angle it looks like a woman holding a baby. After the prince went to visit his brother the emperor he saw the rock and at the time was having troubles having a son, all of his wives had only had daughters. He made his servants carry the stone all the way back to his mansion and the next year he had a son.

The garden was so gorgeous and fun to just walk around in. I wish we had had more time to look around. It was ancient China like you envision it from the movies. There was a large building with a lot of outdoors and gardens and shade and archways and beauty.

A pleasant surprise was when we got to stop and have a ceremonial tea pouring. We sat on furniture that was original to the property and tried four types of tea that was brewed in tealeaves in front of us. The tea lady was very nice and spoke excellent English. The group favorite was the last tea, which was made of dried cherries, peaches and rose petals. I used my digital camera to take a video of the experience and hope to get it on youtube at some point in time so you can see it too. 

I got it! I got it!

Alright everybody- I know I dropped the ball for a few weeks but, as the Australian’s we met say, ‘No worries Mate, she’ll be alright.’ I am picking the ball back up! I am feeling better about China now; I had hit a rough patch for a bit but am feeling better now. Chinese cultural has some significant differences- that I will continue to sprinkle throughout my blog. We received our training and Olympic work schedules yesterday and things are going to be better now. One of the hardest parts of adjusting to the culture was constantly flying by the seat of our pants. I consider myself to be a flexible person, but even I was craving some sort of a routine.

            I am excited about our schedules- we now train for one day and have two days off. This time off will help me to catch up on my blog as well as continue to do some sightseeing. I am going to try to hang out at the venues as much as possible once the games start, but until then I have learned from experience that it is not necessary or effective for us to train 8 hours a day without any days off, especially since we only do about four hours of work a day and sit around the rest. Details to come later but I am excited to be blogging again- I hope I didn’t disappoint too many people with my three week break (or slacking)! Thanks and Have Fun!

P.S. Don’t worry- I have been keeping a running list of what we have been doing everyday so my blog should be fairly complete even though the information may seem a little out-dated. 

“My English name is …”

While not every Chinese person we have met has an English name, most do. It’s always interesting to learn where they got their name from, since they get to choose them themselves. I met only boy who got his name Mike from the show ‘Growing Pains’ and there are others who chose an English word they liked, such as Eleven, Shadow, and probably my favorite is Scrip, on ONS Manager who is earning is PhD in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Robotics. 

Once Upon a Time…

Disclaimer: Anything in parenthesis is completely fictional and made up by others or myself in my group for entertaining. I wanted to keep this as informative as possible but wanted to have a little fun too so I hope that clears up any confusion.

  Over 3,000 years ago in a land far, far away there was a small town that was rapidly developing. Years later it was conquered by Ye and became the capital of the state and named ‘The Capital of Yen’. Today, one of Beijing’s most popular beer is named after this conqueror. Long after the Yen state ended, the city remained one of the most important in Northern China. Since the 11^th Century, five dynasties elected the city as the imperial capital, which was renamed by each dynasty. The last two dynasties, the Ming and Xing Dynasties, named the city Beijing. During this time, 1400s to 1911 Beijing had great economic development and grew in size.

            In 1911, a revolution broke out and the country entered into a republic era. From 1911 to 1949, the government officials were weakened by greed and laziness. The Republic of China was overthrown by the Red Party, which was led by the famous, (and sexy), Mao (hence the phrase Moa-chica-woaw-woaw). The People’s Republic of China is the current ruling party. Beijing is once again the capital city, is a modern metropolis, a political and cultural center that continues to rapidly develop physically and economically to this day. The cities’ goal is to host one of the most successful Olympics in history and surprise the world. (I heard this statement before I began training and now view this completely different; my perception has definitely changed.)

(To be continued… because the story of China will never really end) How about that? For as long winded as I am, I just squeezed over 3,000 years of history into less than 200 words- a personal record if I do say so myself! 

China Rush Hour (PIC: bus with TV, traffic sings)

Traffic in Beijing is probably what you would expect from a city with 3million vehicles. They rush hours last from 7 to 9am and again from 5-7pm. 

During the Olympics to cut down on air pollution and traffic the government has passed a law that between July 20^th and September 20^th there will be an “Odd-Even Number System”. Vehicles with a license plate ending in a even number can only drive on even numbered days and vehicles with odd numbers can only drive on odd numbered days. This should cut traffic down by half but it has been quested about whether the air quality will really be affected. There has been speculation that a lot of Beijing’s pollution is from industrial cities to the West and regardless of what Beijing does, the pollution will not be that easy to fix.

            My favorite part about the roads, besides the signs that have a giraffe to emphasize an upcoming height limit, is the street intersection signs. I learned from Steve that the signs actually change colors so you can see what upcoming and side road traffic looks like- red means a traffic jam, yellow is slow moving and green means you’re good to go. I was surprised to learn that these signs are computer automated but I was even more amused that about 80% of the public transportation buses in Beijing have TVs with news and Olympic coverage.

Communism vs. Democratic

Through conversation, I found out that China is a ‘Democracy’ at present. They have officials who get to ‘vote’ on issues, but votes are usually cast in the recommended (dictated) direction. Even though this is a democratic country, I now feel I understand what a communistic government is like.

            When I studied abroad the summer of ’07 in Prague, I learned from a professor why Czech citizens act and respond they do. According to their history, they don’t want to move for work because they have been on the family land for hundreds of years and are currently dealing with two generations that were under a Communist government. In fall of ’07 I took International Relations 1400 and learned that historically, U.S. citizens have never felt a major loss. We were granted our freedom from Britain because they had to decide to keep India or the US and chose India so as we were growing and developing we were overlooked as inferior to the rest of the world. We entered WWII just before it ended and came up on top. As history repeats itself, the US is about to encounter a leveling where our International power goes from absolute control to shared international control- the mighty Roman Empire fell and U.S. will eventually lose it’s place as the hegemonic country.

I am coming to the conclusion that the Chinese act and have government they do because of their history. For over 3,000 years the nation has used a feudal system which did not end until 1911 and only became democratic in 1949. This country does not have the mind set or background to really know what democracy is and even in the U.S. democracy is only what we have made it. This is a major change for the Chinese government and way of life and I don’t see this as being quickly changed in 50 years, this is going to take hundreds of years. By then, who knows what this world is going to look like then? Will be all still be headed towards ‘democratic’ governments? A definition is what your personal history and cultural perception have led it to be. Different people and cultures will view democracy very differently so using the one word can mean different things to different people. I know this is a lot, especially since I just threw in the Language Convergence Meaning Divergence theory I learned from my Conflict and Communication 3525 class from the Spring of ’08. It’s a lot of concepts and I hope I explained it clearly here but I am very secure in what I am suggesting and if anyone would like some further explanation or me to make my explanation more clear, please ask- I would love to go into greater detail on this. I bet you got more out of this blog posting than you were expecting, I know I did!

Sun 5th: Early to Bed, Early to Rise

By the time we got in that evening I was exhausted. I passed up on a chance to go out- I was just fine with a peanut butter sandwich (I hear everyone was about ready fall over themselves they were so tired). I finished watching ‘No Reservations’ and fell asleep about an hour into ’50 First Dates’ at approximately 8pm. I woke up at 9pm and shut my computer off and got in bed. I was wondering at one point if my roommate had ever come in the night before- I never heard here come in, shower, skype or anything- but I wouldn’t, I’m kind of a rock star at sleeping like I’m in a coma. But as I’m sure you would guess I woke up the next morning at 5:30am and had to wait around for 4.5 hours for everyone else to wake up before we went… shopping! Me, Erin, Laura, Danielle, and Molly went to the nearest mall, had some Starbucks, did some window shopping and decided to go to a market, the kind where you negotiate to get cheap clothes, purses and shoes.

As we left the mall we had to get a taxi and since there can only be four people in a cab at once we split up two and three. Me and Laura and Molly were riding on the taxi and I was in the front because I am good at acting like I know what I am doing and we didn’t want the driver to take advantage of us by charging too much. I was sitting in the front and the driver answered his cell phone then handed it to me- it was his friend who wanted to practice his English- I guess? Then all of a sudden the driver started to act funny and I gave him the phone back- he started to poke buttons and the car proceeded to die on the middle of a bridge. He pointed for us to walk back that way we had come so we started trotting down the middle of a four-lane highway!

            The next taxi cab didn’t understand our poor Chinese pronunciations correctly and took us farther than we wanted him to but since we were just trying to get to a subway stop he got us in an area that had one and once we got our bearings about us, we started our subway experience.

            It took us long enough to figure out the subway ticketing system and then after getting directions we started on our way. It was very nice and shiny new. We took some fun pictures and the fun stop when we got to the train station- finding the other two girls. I found out that the subway is right under the Poly Theatre where they have Chinese Opera. Once we found the girls we bumped into some Americans wearing Iowa shirts. They are working for the Olympics too. We exchanged numbers and talked for about 20 minutes. We then headed off for a 30-minute walk to the market. 

Just some randomness

I got sidetracked blogging about my experiences and just had to throw so thoughts out there.

I find it interesting to see what words spell check doesn’t like. Such as blog, which is a popular form of communication, texted, which refers to something we do on our cell phones in the past tense, and podcast, a downloaded audio clip. These are just a few of my favorites. We have been given the word netizens several times by Chinese news outlets. This word was new to me but very self explanatory- a citizen who gets their news from the internet- internet being one of those words that spell check thinks needs to be capitalized, even though it is a plain noun and used so at this point instead of a proper noun like a person or city.