Monday, July 28, 2008

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 9th and now, on the 29th, 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 21st 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. 

Sunday, July 27, 2008

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. 

Friday, July 25, 2008

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 11th 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 20th and September 20th 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!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

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.  

“Are you the official note taker?”

I thought it was my journalistic side, but since I am one of only a few others and take notes to a greater extent than anyone else I guess I am a record keeper. I just know that I am going to be told and learn a lot of interesting things that I will inevitably forget or only partially remember. This was I can refer to my notes when I want to mention an interesting fact in a story or article and be accurate. I hate telling information incorrectly and this helps prevent that. I was the same way on the I-CAL trip- I have learned from past experiences that I will retain more of what I write down and thanks to Andrea’s idea, I now type my notes up- this way I can actually use them because they will be organized and legible!

When we were at the People’s China Daily website office I was asked by a reporter if I was the official note taker, and while I am not I gave her my name and address and blog so she can refer to it or I can do some posting for her if she would like. Both publications we visited today are very interested in our experiences. A large part of their coverage is about people like us, the volunteers so it’s a win-win for both of us, they get a US volunteer perspective and as journalists we get to be published in print or on the Internet.

One thing I find very interesting and has been noted by many, is how important the Internet is for social development in China. The news industry has been a forerunner in taking advantage of this. The People’s Daily provides news via print, Internet and cell phones. Readers can subscribe to news that will be texted to their cell phones or access news via the Internet that is cell phone friendly. 

Beijing Youth Daily



Our second tour of the day was the Beijing Youth Daily, established in 1949. Mizzou has had a long time relationship with the BYD, their staff has given guest lectures at MU and our faculty has visited China and given their staff training. They have four newspapers, ten magazines and two websites, with a total distribution of more than 600,000 copies every day. Their different magazines target different audiences including middle school students, low-level readers, high-end consumers, mainstream consumers, elementary age students, and young professionals. During out tour we were given

I’m kind of glad that I waited so long to blog about our visit to the newspapers because today I heard the third lecture about the history of Chinese Journalism. Why? During our tour of People’s Daily we were given water, a company notepad and an ink pen that has a calendar rolled in it. At Beijing Youth Daily we were given water, magazines, and a small backpack with a mouse- it is the year of the rat here in China- they really do go by the years, it’s not just an ancient idea that looks good on a placemat in America! I got a used feeling from the Beijing Youth Daily; they really want us to work for them by sending them articles and such. But it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it and the deliverance is what tipped me off, even after losing meaning from translation I still heard the undertone loud and clear. I felt like the bags were a bribe and today during the third lecture I found out that bribes are the cultural norm here in China. It is a very common practice for reporters here to accept money, trips, food, and so on from those they interview- this is just one of the moral issues China is dealing with in its news industry. Others include making news, telling interviewees what to say, using people unnecessarily, etc. So now I don’t feel so disgusted, I just got to fully experience the culture of Chinese journalism. 

People’s Daily



Friday July 4th      

            Our first stop of the day was to see the website department of the People’s Daily publication, which has been operating since 1997. It was a very modern looking building and when we entered there was a screen on the wall that said ‘Welcome to us’ written in characters. They first took us into a hall lined with pictures. On the left side were important Chinese dignitaries that had visited and to the right were important international economists, politicians and athletes. All were pictures of people that had visited the People’s Daily website office and had interviews.

Their main bragging point was the interaction they have with netizens- Chinese citizens on the Internet. National and International dignitaries visit the office and have open forums with netizens.  Sometimes the interview is taped and posted on the Internet, other times netizens can send questions or comments in instant messages and talk with the guest speaker. Many speakers, especially government officials, like getting to talk with the netizens and hearing what they have to say. The People’s Daily is the only newspaper that invites the president, who had said People’s Daily is his favorite media, to communicate with netizens.

Besides the forum, www.people.com.cn has all 20 newspapers and magazines published by People’s Daily where articles can be easily accessed for free. Viewers are also able to post comments about news articles and there is a special forum where they can send in their own news as well. People’s Daily has changed dramatically in the past 11 years and focuses on journalism and information. They currently have 724 news platforms and 80 different sections, reporting news 24/7. On average, they have 9,000 posts a day, receiving 13 million viewers. They have kept up with the times by being on the cutting edge of convergence technology using audio, forums, animation, and broadcast. As well as combining mediums, People’s Daily website is also innovative in spreading information whether by internet cell phones, text messages, videos, podcasts, blogs and of course, print stories. The news is available in seven languages: Chinese, English, Italian, Russian, French, Arabic, and Japanese. Other than Chinese, English is the most viewed language.

The recent earthquake was a great test on the People’s Daily and their news reporting abilities. To date the website has had over 600,000 stories, including 30,000 pictures and 2,000 videos with audio. More than 60 million people have viewed the coverage in some form with more than one million posting comments and about 500,000 posts in the public forum. In preparation for the Olympic Games the website has a staff of 100 reporters.

Afterwards we were given a chance to ask questions that ranged anywhere from how Chinese journalist are viewed by society as a whole to what kind of international traffic the website experiences to where employees come from. 

Our 1st Friday night in Beijing and what do we do…

After a day of touring newspapers I was wiped out but decided I wanted to go with my roommate and others to a shopping center to get some basic items like a USB memory chip adapter and orange juice and lotion. When I was buying lotion I noticed there were two types- I assumed that meant flavors. I was with someone who was from China and studied at MU and she told me the difference was that one was for moisturizing and the other for whitening! So opposite of America where we have tanning lotions they have whitening lotions! They also have whitening face wash and sun block. That is definitely a cultural difference, although wanting to be white is probably healthier- less skin cancer anyways.

It started raining big time on our way back and after 20 minutes we were pretty soaked! We all changed, ordered Pizza Hut cheese pizzas, not that tuna pizza didn’t sound good or anything, and watched the first half of no reservations on a laptop. It was a nice way to wind down from a crazy day while still coping with jet lag- 13 hours is a major adjustment!

What's for lunch?



(Picture of squid, ice cream and bathroom)

 

I have a feeling that I am going to have a lot of blogs about food- but probably because it is the one thing that is consistently unique in this country and so far no two eating experiences have been the same.

On the day we were touring newspapers we ate at a very expensive ‘Western’ buffet that cost us each 100 Yuan ($15); because of the size of our group we were given a 50% discount. It was a very fancy hotel restaurant with chefs and everything. Western buffet just means that it is a buffet, I think Chinese buffet is what we experienced the day we were sightseeing where they serve food family style- setting out large dishes in front of everyone to serve themselves. The Western buffet was very interesting. Overall, the food was not that good and definitely overpriced. Although I was glad I got to try a cold squid salad. For dessert they had ice cream: vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, green tea and carrot. I tried the latter of the three and was pleasantly surprised with the green tea ice cream- not so much with the purple carrot ice cream.

The Chinese buffet was really good- we had fried rice, kung pow chicken, fried corn and a variety of 4 or 5 other dishes. The most interesting part of eating at the Chinese buffet restaurant was the bathroom- the base of the sinks were the backsides, legs included, of women with different underwear or like one with none at all! Also, from the bathroom there is a one-way mirror so you can watch the crowd but they can’t see you while you use the restroom. What a shame I didn’t need to use it! 

Day 1: Thursday July 3rd

Thursday morning my roommate, Aja, and I woke up and went to Water Stone for breakfast. I had a pork flake roll. I ate everything but the pork in the middle- it was just a little awkward. We chatted with a few of the grad students, Kelly and Laura. We then headed to class where we started the morning off with a group photo. After we got situated we heard a few opening remarks from Renmin University’s Vice Chancellor and then Michelle from BOCOG, The Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games. She introduced us to the different supervisors and some media reporters. We received our letters of acceptance and cell phones before signing our lives away. I was in shock and awe when they called my named, the Chinese woman pronounced my name perfectly- a feat most Americans can’t manage. Julia was super easy and Shuck sounded the way it should- I was quite possibly the only person who had their name pronounced correctly.

We then got to try on our shirts- that ran small, pants- that run big, and shoes- that ran REALLY small. We got a chance to meet our advisors. Gymnastics is the biggest group but should be the most fun, we get a few extra perks but I am still a little confused on the exact details so I will wait to report on that until the Olympics! We were given our schedules and staring July 15th we have training 7 days a week, 8 hours a day- more than any other group. It’s going to be more intense, but that just means I am going to get more out of it. 

We were then taken to a canteen (dining hall) where it resembled a mad house. People were everywhere and some lines were quite long, but you got to see the food and point to what you wanted. I really liked getting to see and choose my food it makes life so much easier to just have to point and not wait for a surprise. 

H'ors deurves

After class we had a few hours to get ready for the reception that night. I was bad and after blogging took a nap; it wasn’t the power nap I was looking for. Once at the reception I snacked a little, trying rice pudding and a few other items, but wasn’t really hungry so I mainly stood around and ‘talked’ with the others (when I’m tired I don’t really talk, I just kind of absorb my surroundings- unless I’m slap happy!).  Towards the end of the reception Prof. Gao Gang presented us with a stone that had our name in English and Chinese- I think it is supposed to be a stamp. It is a really nice gift and everyone on the trip was happy with it, which surprises me because pleasing 60 people at once is not an easy feat. 

Monday, July 7, 2008

A Productive Rainy Day

After today's lecture, our third and final, we went outside to learn it was raining quite steadily. Me and a few friends ran to lunch where we had pizza- in case you didn't know Hawaiian pizza is topped with pineapple, canadian bacon, corn, black olives and beans. It was a little bland but no complaints here. I especially liked my mocha slushy! After lunch we ran back to the hotel and I am getting ready to start blogging again, making up for lost time. I was planning on blogging anyways, but knowing that I am not missing a sunny* day makes staying in and listening to itunes that much better. Several people in the group have either had to cancel or alter their plans due to the weather- but I did my shopping yesterday so I am more than ready to start some work. 
(*sunny- take this word for what it is worth here in Beijing, I had put beautiful but sunny was a better word even though it portrays an image that is better than what it is actually like.)

A few quick notes: 
Here is a link to one of the newspapers we toured the other day. They wrote an article about our group if you would like to read it. I would like to thank Sarah French, Broadcast Journalism major, for e-mail the link to our group- heaven knows I never would have found it myself.      http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2008-07/04/content_6818182.htm

Also, I was skimming a few websites for international news and found a BBC article about Beijing's pollution- so that you can get a perspective from someone other than myself. I think the smog is such a big deal for me because I have never seen anything like it; I thought Hannibal, MO had pollution because in the winter time the snow would turn black because of car exhaust!        http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7494656.stm

Hope everyone is having a good nights rest back home as I type this, feel free to comment on any of my blogs- I would love some feedback.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Lecture #1: The Development of Chinese Media Industry and its Impact on Social Change


Thursday July 3rd we had our first of only three Renmin University lectures. Our lecture started with an introduction from the Vice Chancellor and Chancellor of Renmin University, who has the best journalism school in China. The university has 11,000 grad and undergrad students with 1,600 international students. As an assignment, we had to write a summary and three interesting facts about the lecture; I am posting the summary so you can get an idea of what the lecture was like. Pictured in the Chancellor shaking hands with MU Journalism Study Abroad Coordinator, Fritz Cropp. 

The Three Most Interesting Facts

  • MU has had a long history with Renmin University, dating back to 1914
  •  Technology is changing daily life in China
  • As journalist, we need to report the truth to eliminate misunderstandings 

Professor Gao Gang began his lecture, The Development of Chinese Media Industry and its Impact on the Social Change, with a background of the relationship between the University of Missouri and Renmin University, which dates back to 1914. Prof. Gang then gave the statistics of Chinese media: 1,935 newspapers, 9,386 magazines, 282 radio stations, 314 TV stations, and 1.5 million websites. The lecture then moved into how technologies such as the Internet and cell phones are impacting society and the news media. As of June 2008 there were 221 million Chinese Internet users, with that number increasing by 200,000 people every day- a majority of those people being from rural areas. News medias have effectively infiltrated the Internet and in 2004 began to enter the market of getting news to citizens via cell phones, a technology which has been advanced for easy access for PDA’s. In addition to the technology craze, there are 4,000 magazines that are offered solely in electronic form. 

            With technological advances there have been trends leading towards media convergence. As a whole, Prof. Gang sees media convergence as something positive; a dynamic process that optimizes traditional media and helps to meet citizens personalized information demands. The five main driving forces of media technology are the desire for information, opportunity for expression, supervision of government officials by ordinary citizens, participation in society and adjustment of information between media outlets to find out for oneself the real truth.

There are a lot of changes being made by the Chinese government when it comes to suppressing the media, especially reporters. From experience the government has learned that when reporters are not allowed to see and report on a major event personally, they are more likely to report information incorrectly which perpetuates a misunderstandings of other cultures. These misunderstandings cause stereotypes and give China, especially the government, a negative image internationally. Prof. Gang’s final message here was that we as reporters must be as honest and truthful as possible and visit other places to find commonalities between cultures to eliminate misunderstandings. The lecture ended with Walter William’s mission statement to, “promote international good will and cementing world comradeships is a journalism of humanity, of and for today’s world.”

Thursday, July 3, 2008

FYI- Future Improvements

Hey all- I just wanted to apologize for the lack of photos so far- I forgot to bring my USB cord that connects my digital camera to my laptop but hopefully I can borrow one from another MU student. Sorry it looks so boring right now but don't worry- I'm working on getting some eye candy for you. 

It's been a long day- right now it is 8:15am for you guys and 9:15pm for us- we are 13 hours ahead. I know that it sounds like it's early but I am still coping with a little jet lag so I think I'm going to hit the bed- as hard as it may be. I hope everyone back home is having and fun and save summer, especially as you are all preparing for the 4th of July. 

Just a note- As of July 1st I am no longer a minor; China has no drinking age and since I turn 21 while I am here, I will be legal to drink when I get back home. Sounds like we will be celebrating my birthday the traditional American way weeks into my 21st year but hey- better late than never. And crazy enough but The Junction should be up and running by the time I get back and catch up with classes so I might actually get to drink there- as opposed to cleaning up on Saturday and Sunday morning. 

Dirty Talk



I know what you’re all wondering… what are the bathrooms like? It is pretty and has a toilet! The shower is really interesting though because it doesn’t close. There is a hand held water head as well as a showerhead that sprays straight down. Each room has its own water heater and you don’t get to choose the temperature of your water- just however it comes out of the heater is how you get it. My roommate Aja and I are lucky- it feels just right and both water heads work. It is interesting though because the shower floor is just like the bathroom floor and it is half enclosed by a glass wall- the other half is just open, there is no door. There is a drain directly under the showerhead, but it can’t keep up with all of the water coming out so it flows behind the glass wall where there is an intentional crack between it and the wall. The water flows out, around the toilet and to another drain. This means that for at least an hour there is standing water covering the bathroom floor. There are shoe sandals provided which are a saving grace because that floor gets slick when it’s wet.

Also, my favorite is the toilet paper because it is just like decoration streamers- I kind of want to decorate something with it now! It is even rolled like a streamer, so even though there is a toilet paper dispenser, the roll just has to sit on top because there is no way that a toilet paper holder can fit in the middle of the roll. 

I already miss that fresh country air


For the first time today, I saw blue sky and clouds- but just for a little while in the afternoon. I have always heard about the pollution in Beijing but could never truly grasp what it meant. The pollution looks like a thin fog everywhere and all the time. The first day was the hardest- having rarely been around smog and never to this extent adjusting was not an easy task. I can only imagine the health risks it has on the people of Beijing. I know that there has been a lot of talk about outdoor athletes being wary of the breathing conditions and while I feel the Olympics will still go on, I wonder if any world records will be broken, and if so to the same extent if the event was held in a less polluted area. 

High quality H2O


Right now my biggest concern is staying hydrated. I normally drink a gallon of water a day but between the plane ride (which I learned dehydrates people), the humidity coupled with walking, and not having access to as much water as I would like make me that much more concerned. We have been instructed not to drink the tap water and have been provided with Culligan-like jugs in each room for drinking- which has been a lifesaver I’m sure. Today I bought a reusable water bottle so that I can carry water around with me, unlike before when I crossed my fingers and hoped they would provide us with water at some point in time. 

Chinese food- The real deal



All those trips to HuHot paid off- it may have taken me longer to eat but learning how to use chopsticks before I came to China makes life so much easier. The only other eating utensil I have seen is a large spoon used for soups. The food has been very interesting and I have no doubt that if I was determined, I could go the next two months without eating the same meal twice. I have remembered to take pictures of each meal to this point and hope I continue to do so. In my opinion, the food tastes good but different. My first meal was pork and rice, my second was fish, rice and garlic stalks- which was surprisingly delicious, even though it wasn’t the green beans I was expecting. On average our meals have cost around $1.50 US. A serving of rice costs $0.04- so when I am given a serving and feel full after just half of my plate, it doesn’t bother me as much when I put it in the perspective that I only wasted $0.02 of food.

We have noted the irony of how much the Chinese are able to eat, but yet they are thin. We have yet to see an obese person and they are able to finish a plate of food that is twice as large as ours and we can only eat half of what we are served. I have a feeling I will be losing weight

The cafeteria was an interesting experience. There were 14 windows, each with four different items. It seemed hectic and chaotic at first, but after being in a few lines the system becomes clear. While waiting in line with another MU student I learned that Cola is the second most commonly known word throughout the world, with the first being okay. 

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

I have arrived!



After a 13 hour uneventful plane ride (thankfully) our group arrived in Beijing. Pictures do not do the airport justice! The new Beijing airport is so shiny and modern. Everything flows so smoothly, from exiting the plane terminal, to the subway, to pickup where our luggage arrived quicker than we did. I was surprised how quiet the airport was, even with hundreds of people waiting to get through customs, there was a very calm, relaxed atmosphere. So far, that has been my most exciting moment- probably because I have been too zoned out from jet lag the rest of the time to be too surprised. Anyone interested in architecture would probably like the airport through; I was in awe of its structure, something which I rarely notice.