Language Exchange

Today we awoke to a clear haze-free day in Beijing which could only mean one thing - it was very cold and windy. The average temperature in Beijing has been in the 30's and 40's with the wind cutting into you if you don't have appropriate headgear and gloves on. It was none-the-less sunny so I still ventured out to take a break outside of the apartment and write up more updates for the blog at a nearby Starbucks.

I'm happy to report that for the last couple of weeks, I've had more opportunities to go out and meet the locals. I have three language partners with whom I've learned many things from and I hope I get to continue working with them through the next year. They all tell me my pronunciation has improved (or maybe that's what they all say to foreigners learning their language) so in time maybe I'll be able to construct full sentences. Each language partner has provided different keys to my cultural development. One is a little younger than me and is great for letting me know how most people would say this or that and we chat mostly about movies and sports. The second is the same age as me and has been kind enough to invite me to her home. She's currently not working so she's had the time to show me how to cook different dishes with our first being jaozi (dumplings). Mine came out pretty decent but I need to figure out how to fit more filling into them. And finally the third is a translator for D&B although he plans to not renew his contract and is looking for a new job. He's been the most interesting to learn about a Chinese's perspective on government and economy.

Tomorrow is New Year's and although we're in China, I've decided to practice some Japanese traditions. I went to a Japanese store yesterday and bought some supplies to prepare the traditional New Year's foods, specifically soba (buckwheat noodles) for New Year's Eve and mochi (pounded rice) for New Year's Day. We're also having the cleaning lady come over so the place will be nice and clean to start the New Year.

Merry Christmas, Mao!

For our first Christmas together in Beijing we thought there was no better way to spend it than Chinese style (with a few Western treats). We took a mini-vacation to the Chaoyang area and booked a hotel room that overlooked the Forbidden City. We lucked out with a last-minute deal and got the room for $100/night. The decorations and furniture were mostly Chinese-style and we enjoyed the variety of English-speaking channels like National Geographic, CNN, and HBO (far more entertaining than the one government-owned station we get at home).

On Christmas Eve we ate at Outback Steakhouse for dinner and then walked down Wangfujing (a large pedestrian walkway lined with malls and small shops) to look at the lights. Similar to many countries where Christmas is being introduced for its economic-boosting rather than religious purposes, Christmas Eve and Day are for the couples and a reason for friends to get-together so Wangfujing was lined with lots of mostly young people as well as young-looking policemen every twenty steps standing in attention to control the masses. Scott could've easily taken down any one of these kinder-cops but we thought maybe their numbers could overpower him. The most shocking of our walk were the many Santa hats, bunny ears, mardi gras masks, and light-up devil horns for sale. What says "Merry Christmas" better than a pair of lit-up devil horns?? We later walked through the night market where dumplings and various meats and parts were grilled on sticks but we chose to pass only because we were still full from dinner otherwise the snakes and scorpions looked very tempting to eat.

Christmas morning we awoke early to wish the embalmed body of Chairman Mao a Merry Christmas. Most mornings his mausoleum is opened and his body arises from its refrigerator for people to walk by and pay their respects. This visit is for free except for if you want to purchase an informational pamphlet or lay flowers, which I heard are later collected and then re-sold to the afternoon crowd, at the mausoleum's entrance. It only took 30 minutes to wait in line and go through the mausoleum and afterward we travelled a couple subway stops over to the restaurant we had our Thanksgiving dinner at for a good ol' American breakfast. I ordered an egg skillet and Scott had french toast and corned-beef hash and we both took advantage of the unlimited refills of coffee.

Full of coffee we then went to see the only American movie playing in Beijing, 2012. We can't wait for some of the other big movies like Avatar and Sherlock Holmes to arrive in January. It gives Maile more reasons to go to the theatre and get a large bucket of popcorn. (Side story: Since we don't have a microwave I found that the old-fashioned style of stove-top popcorn can work almost as well. I just open the bag, dump its contents into a pan with a little bit of oil, cover it, and watch it pop.) The day was completed with a Beijing duck dinner where we ordered half of a duck which was carved right next to our table.

The Globetrotters visit Beijing

Basketball is a very popular sport in China and we're always keeping an eye out for different forms of entertainment that come through Beijing so we decided to catch the Harlem Globetrotters. Most Americans understand that this team is for show and their competition against the Washington Generals is to highlight their non-traditional basketball talents and humor; based on the response from the crowd, it didn't seem that that's how the Chinese understood it. They would cheer for both sides whenever they made a basket but I think they understood to boo for the opposing coach.

Being in China we expected the majority of the dialogue to be in Chinese with the occasional English but it turned out to be quite the opposite. We didn't expect the players to speak Chinese but we thought at least the announcer would so when he would say, "Beijing, make some noise," the crowd would react accordingly instead of remaining quiet and wonder what he said. From the players' prospective I'd imagine that if the crowd doesn't respond the way they're supposed to it's not as fun to perform but from our perspective (and probably that of the handful of other foreigners) the crowd's non-reaction made the act more amusing. It was a little awkward though when they pulled a woman from the crowd that didn't understand English. She didn't know what was going on and ran from the Globetrotter. Overall it was a fun experience but we're looking forward to when the real professionals come to Beijing for their pre-season exhibition games.

Bu shi Zhongguo ren

A repeated experience that I'm now finding more amusing is the reaction of Chinese people when they realize I'm not Chinese. When Scott and I go out, it's easy for the waitress or taxi driver to think I'm a good tutor and allow my non-Chinese husband to speak so he gets his practice but when I'm solo, there's just no way to explain why I'm not talking back to them then to say my first Chinese phrases:

Ting bu dong = I don't understand.
Wo bu hui shou Zhongwen = I can't speak Chinese.
Wo bu shi Zhongguo ren = I'm not Chinese. (I find this last phrase important since it explains why I don't understand so much)

Experience 1:
For drinking water, we have one of those Arrowhead-like bottles dispensers even though the water is supposedly okay to drink. Scott just sends them a text when we need a new bottle and one is delivered for a little over $2USD. Scott had requested one be delivered while he was at work so when the door rang, I answered it to let the delivery man in. He came in and immediately started to speak Chinese. I cut him off and told him that I didn't understand and that I didn't speak Chinese (which I always thought was a funny phrase since you're obviously speaking Chinese when you say you don't.) After replacing the water bottle he said something else and again I told him I didn't understand. Finally he said something I did understand, "Are you Chinese?" I told him I wasn't and it looked like a lightbulb went off in his head or maybe it was shock that there existed someone who looked like they were Chinese but couldn't understand it.

Experience 2:
Experience 1 probably lead to the curiosity displayed by our elevator girl shortly after. Yes, in our building we have an elevator girl that pushes the button for the floor we want to go to. Most of the time they just look at you, recall what floor you go to, push that button, and continue reading or texting on their cell phone. If you ride the elevator early enough you might even catch one sleeping on their small stool and you'll have to push the button yourself!

Today, I went out for some groceries at Wal-Mart and on the way down, I could feel that the girl was staring at me. She started maybe a month ago and has started to recognize me and Scott and would push the button without having to ask us. My Chinese skills still don't exist but I quickly needed to learn how to say 22 so we could get to the correct floor. Anyway, back to today's events - when I came back up, she started talking to me in Chinese. I told her that I didn't understand and she repeated that to herself as she was thinking of what she wanted to ask me now. The second question was whether or not I was Chinese and of course I told her I wasn't. She then proceeded to speak more Chinese which I imagined was along the lines of "But you look Chinese" but again I had to tell her I didn't understand. I then offered the fact that I was American and she contemplated that some more as we approached my floor. By the time we arrived she seemed almost giddy that she's made this discovery.

Thanksgiving in Beijing

For our first post-marriage Thanksgiving, we found a restaurant on the eastern side of Beijing which served the traditional feast - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Since it was a set menu, we didn't get to gorge ourselves the same as if we were home but it was nice to have the traditional eats none-the-less. Maybe next year we'll make an attempt at hosting a Thanksgiving dinner with our favorite recipes from home. There are a number of foreign grocery stores in Beijing which have thus far supplied the ingredients we need for the occasional home-cooked meal.

After our early dinner, we went down the street to the People's National Performing Arts Theatre to watch a quartet of pianos perform Gershwin songs. It was Maile's first time inside of the bubble structure and a great way to end the day despite being away from family. The theater was impressive on the inside and out and they were so protective of spectators not taking pictures on the inside, that they asked you to stow your camera with the coat-check before entering. We later found out that this security measure was only loosely enforced as a number of people with their cameras were visible from our balcony seats, however if anyone tried to use their camera, red lasers would point at the culprit somehow preventing (or more perhaps to deterring) them from taking the picture. Despite how nice the theater looked, they could've done a better job of ensuring a patron's comfort. The rows of seats were so close to each other that it came up less than an inch from my knees and my toes came right up against the seat-back in front of me when I faced straight ahead. This of course meant Scott had hardly any room for his longer legs. At the end of the performance, I was once again reminded I was in China when some rose to give the quartet a standing ovation and everyone else saw it as a sign to leave. The quartet was still standing on stage bowing as everyone started to walk out as if the three encore performances made the show long and made them late to wherever they needed to go rather than a pleasant bonus. Oh well, as we say in these types of instances, TIC (This is China!).

Mr. Obama visits Beijing

As part of his first trip to Asia, President Obama made a two-day stop in Beijing. As is customary when any foreign dignitary that visits the capital, the visitor's flag is displayed around Tiananmen Square. It was reported that President Obama visited the Forbidden City and Great Wall. My father-in-law even caught a glimpse of him along with Secretary Clinton in the halls of the U.S. Embassy.

English Corner

Friday's are Scott's weekly "going out with the boys" night so I ventured to Renmin University to partake (or at least observe) in their English Corner where just about any Chinese person (mostly college students) gather to practice their speaking skills. Every Friday between 7 and 10, Chinese students from all over Beijing (there are roughly 70 in the city) come to the northeast corner of Beijing to practice their English. A common statement I heard throughout the night was their English education for the most part had been focused on reading and writing but their are few opportunities that allow them to speak and so they come to English corner almost religiously to practice.

The night was cold but bearable as I started out on my 1 mile walk to Renmin University. Once I arrived it was easy to locate the large group of people and I made my initial scan of the scene by just observing under the cover of my Chinese-looking face. The group composition was mostly male and I noticed the larger groups were around the obvious-looking foreign speakers. I approached a group of girls who were talking about the fact that this was their first time at English Corner and so the speaking began.

Topics ranged from talking about myself and where I came from to my opinion on the education system and whether a woman's place should be at home. My circle got as big as perhaps eleven people and the two hours went by quickly. It was only when I started to exchange numbers that I realized how cold it got and it was time to go home. Overall I felt it was a great place to develop connections with local Chinese people and I think I'll go again next week, however with the temperature dropping as we progress towards winter, I don't think I can continue to do it every week.