On the way home from work.....

On the walk home from work, on a light pollution night, where I could see stars (stayed at work late getting some stuff done) and the air was clear...I stopped off for some dinner. First, I grabbed a slice of New York pizza- and it actually tasted like New York pizza....but when I also tried to order a nice salad there....the salad materials left a lot to be desired (wilted spinach, and other veggies looked as though they'd gone bad), so I gave up on that and went on home, still a bit hungry (as I was ravenous before, and a thin slice of pizza doesn't do much to quell that). Normally I'd go home and cook, but.....

I'm going out dancing because there's a live band tonight. It will be my first live jazz experience in Beijing (excluding the Free Jazz concert I helped the school put on last week), and I'm really excited...I hope I'm not disappointed. I had actually planed to eat dinner when I got into town, but I was too hungry to wait. Thus the pizza. And, thus, as I continued walking, I ended up stopping at another restaurant on the way, to see if I could pick something else up.

I walked in and ordered, and shortly thereafter, one of the employees literally ran out the door and down the sidewalk towards the grocery store on the corner. He came back 5 minutes later, seemingly trying to hide something against his body, and went into the kitchen. 5 minutes later, my food was handed to me. So, I guess they must have been out of some part of my order....but rather than ask me to order something else, they literally ran to the store to buy it. Service with a smile I guess.

Also, just because it has struck as I've been writing this, since I've been here, the playlist has included the following, in this order:

"The Lazy Song"- Bruno Mars
Some hip-hop song, with possibly not fully nice lyrics, but it made me want to dance
Non-descript backgroung jazz
"I'll Be Home For Christmas"- the smooth samba version
More non-distinct Samba
Some kind of Polka? - with a children's choir?
Back to Samba, with clarinets!
"There She Goes"- Tiao Cruze


I am not sure what is going on with their playlist. Or their decor, for that matter...as it seems to be a sports bar with jerseys hanging on the wall around the bar.....which is in the middle of what is trying to be a fancy schmancy restaurant with chandeliers and ornate chairs and sophisticated pictures on the walls....except the  one wall....which has a children's play area and a gaint projection screen covering the whole thing.....


I hope my food is good.

Excited for dancing and live music tonight :)

Thankful for fresh-ish air.

Autumn in Beijing....

.....doesn't quite have the same ring, or feel for that matter.

What Fall is................

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. To be fair, I say that of every season, because there are parts of every season that I absolutely love, and that change is always nice.

Fall, to me, is a new start (having been a student and then, a teacher, fall is basically my new year). A new chance to build new habits at school, and a way to start off ahead (and not behind on deadlines!). It also tends to be when I make new friends and start new relationships. This year has not been an exception in those regards.

But, equally as important, fall is also pumpkin farms, apple picking, cinnamon, apple cider, hay rack rides, taffy apples, bon fires with friends, camping and hiking, s'mores, crunching through fallen leaves,  jumping in leaf piles, gorgeous and vibrant colors, brisk, crisp, clear air, leaving the window cracked at night so you can snuggled extra under the covers when you wake up to a crisp breeze in the morning, that juxtaposition of feeling the warm sunshine on your face, but the brisk breeze on your back, Friday night and Saturday afternoon football games, marching bands, homecomings, cooking with squash, pumpkin carving, Halloween costumes, craft fairs, fond memories of decorating the house for Halloween with my family, parties (no really, this is what fall is in my life)......

What fall isn't.......

 

I was told October was the best month in Beijing.....low pollution, great, crisp weather.....just lovely.

Thus far, it hast been mostly high pollution, and kind of dreary. Today is one of the few lovely days, and as soon as I'm done writing this, I'm off on a bike ride....and then grocery shopping.

Shopping in an attempt to make it feel like fall. Thus far, I have not found a pumpkin, or even imported pumpkin in a can (which I would pay waaay too much for at this point....to make a fall treat!) I also have had trouble finding cinnamon....which makes my morning oatmeal, and my breakfast craving taste-buds, sad.

There are also no fallen leaves, no vibrant oranges and reds, and until late this morning, there hasn't been much of that crisp, lively air.

And in case you were wondering, there are, in fact, no marching bands.....and while football abounds....it is the soccer kind (which I do happen to enjoy), and not the pigskin kind. Let me be clear, I actually don't like football (gasp!) and can get into watching it only from time to time, if the game "matters" or is really exciting (Tie game, 40 seconds left, if my team wins, they go to some fancy bowl game, which means I get a free trip with the band!). I have learned, through all of my years of playing in, and then directing, marching bands, to deal with, and even enjoy, football....but I'd never choose to watch it on TV. Going to a live game.....totally different story. There is something electric about the atmosphere, and it is, for me, a trigger of literally thousands of happy memories (most involved doing something other than actually watching the football game- but enjoying the atmosphere none-the-less). Also, live football = live marching band.

How it feels......

 

 

I may have digressed. My point is that......., it just FEELS WEIRD.....because it is mid-October, but basically everything that I associate with fall is just not here. This is causing me confusion as to what time of the year it is, for sure, but beyond that, it is drastically increasing my homesickness, and this kind of feeling of "missing out".

I am not one to stay down and out. I will say this- this morning, I snuggled in the cool air while reading a book. Now, I'm off on a bike ride and a shopping adventure. 

If I can find some cinnamon and a squash or two....maybe even a pumpkin!....in my shopping quest today...I think I can come out on top. And I promise to post a picture of the fall treat I make!


**************Update*************

I found pumpkins......well....at least....the Chinese version of pumpkins....really large orange (and sometimes green) squash.....but I did pick up a couple small ones to make pie, and a big one to carve (though I have as yet to carve it)

 Whilst out shopping, I discovered that "Sutter Home", a cheap and not so great wine back home...is actually the expensive stuff here. That made me laugh a bit.....if they are going to bother with imports, you'd think they'd at least try for something good.

And finally.....as I was biking about, enjoying a beautiful fall day, I happened upon a little Chinese neighborhood. I actually don't know what to call it....neighborhood isn't the right word- shanty town actually seems like the best, albeit saddest, description. Anyhow, there were these puppies.....I tried to play with them, but their Mama was very protective. I wasn't quite sure if they belonged to anyone or not....but at least they had a mama dog, so after some coaxing, playing, pictures, I continued on my way home to bake pumpkin pie.

I did manage to bake pumpkin pie....but I had to improvise a bit, since I did not have measuring utensils (forgot I didn't have those while I was shopping, or I would have picked them up). I also did not have ground cinnamon or nutmeg, since I couldn't find those things at the store. I tried to bake it anyway, but after about 30-40 minutes, my oven kept blowing a fuse. I learned that I apparently cannot run my oven, refridgerator, and internet all at the same time, because it will blow a fuse. I blew the fuse at least 10 times before I was satisfied that my pie was probably actually cooked...oh China.

That time I ended up at a Chinese movie studio, on a lot, doing a dance audition for a big Chinese movie, in front of a choreographer and dance team fro L.A.

Yeah, that happened. That time was yesterday.

So as I wrote yesterday, it was  a beautiful, blue skied morning, and I had grand plans to head into town and meet the ultimate players, watch some disc, and then head out this dance practice. It was supposed to go from 1-3:30 or so. I figured after that, since I was already in town, I might try to drop by the school/staff social that was being held at some fancy hotel downtown, and then maybe go out with the teachers, or go to the ultimate party I was invited to (if you know anything about Ultimate culture, or ultimate parties, you know that would have been a good time)....

.....But life had other plans.

                                                           Getting to Dance Practice

I got to dance practice late because I left the ultimate field a little late, and then my cab driver dropped me off somewhere near where I was trying to go, but it wasn't quite it....so I was randomly wandering around for a bit, trying to figure things out. I finally stopped in this little bistro/coffee shop type place because they had a sign saying "wifi" and figured maybe I could look it up, but when I walked in, it was totally dead, except for the two staff, who were eating lunch, and they quickly got up, and handed me a menu.....so I felt pretty bad not getting anything.

I ordered a smoothie, and then asked them if they might know where this address is.

As it turns out, I am, once again lucky, because this random building...blocks from where the cab dropped me off.....happened to be the right one, and the dance studio I was looking for was actually right upstairs! I don't know how my life works sometimes....maybe I have good intuition?

So I enjoyed my smoothie...(I ordered blueberry, and it came out yellow and was probably mango? but it was yummmy  none the less) and headed upstairs to dance practice.

                                                 Dance Practice

I walked in and they were hard at work on a routine....and as I tried to say hi, some of the leaders seemed engrossed in a slight argument about costumes?

I was not really sure why costumes mattered, since it was rehearsal....but that's cool, whatever.

Since the practice I wasn't able to make Friday night, they had choreographed a full song. They were follow heavy (5 leads, 7 follows plus me), so there wasn't really a partnered space for me, but they said I could jump in and learn the choreo anyway, because if they movie wanted them, they'd need more dancers and they could drum up more people. So I jumped in trying to learn as they rehearsed, and we had practice.

At some point in there, one of the leads, who was kind of running things, mentioned that they were all going to take a bus about an hour out of town to a north suburb to this movie studio to meet with the choreographer for this movie and kind of go over things, and he invited me to go.

I wasn't really sure what was going on at this point, but that sounded kind of cool, and I didn't really have any other solid plans for the day, so I figured, why not? Maybe spending some more time with the dancers would help me make friends and stuff.....so I said I'd go. He even mentioned that where they were going was closer to the burb where I live, so they might even be able to drop me off at home (which was the clincher, not having to take a taxi home sounded great.....taxis have become a slight source of anxiety for me)

Anyway, so rehearsal ends, they invited me to grab some food with them, and we go downstairs to the 7-11 to grab something quick. Most of us got sushi.....and it was not only cheap, it was REALLY GOOD.

Did you just heard that? 7-11 sushi in China......is good. Just in case you were wondering. Now you know.

                                              The Adventure Begins

So after sushi and some water, I find myself waiting on a corner, in the beating hot sun (which feels sooooo good, btw, after the crummy weather of the past week), apparently waiting for a bus.

The bus comes....it is about the size of a "short bus' in American, but thinner. It was like a mini-coach bus. And apparently the studio had hired it to pick us up and drive us out there.

So I get on a bus (really, when you step back and think about it, I'm getting on a random bus with people I don't really know, to someplace I'm not really sure about, to do a thing that I'm not really sure about......but it's all ok, because they're dancers....and that's how dancers are. It's all ok. If you are a dancer, you're taken care of by other dancers. That's just how this community works, that's just how it is. It's the same in the ultimate community....and probably most communities, I'd imagine.)

Anyway, the bus starts on its way out of the city and into what kind of seems like the Chinese country side. I can see the mountains, beautiful greenery, and it is all lovely. There are lovely conversations on the bus as I am given Chinese lessons, Chinese history lessons (because I was asking, and they could tell me!), and just getting to know people. After about an hour, we get there.

                                                At the Studio

To a Chinese movie studio. It had multiple lots and buildings, and we were bussed to one further back on the premises. We got off the bus and walked in, and it was pretty fancy.

We were greeted by a cheerful black man, who actually reminded me a Frankie Manning. Apparently, he was the choreographer.

He showed us where to change (here's where that earlier argument about costumes comes in) and get ready. I followed the other girls to the bathroom (and they were the Chinese ones.....but I had to pee, so there was my second time using a Chinese toilet...more on that another time) and they started doing make up and suddenly had black skirts and white tops, and looked rather fancy. And the "star" dancer had this fancy, sequin-y flapper-esque silver and white dress and dance heels....she even wore a wig! And here I am, wearing a teal athletic skirt and an white ultimate jersey......

Apparently they were actually performing this routine in front of the choreographer to show them what kind of choreo they had and what kind of dancers. People were kind of confused by this, which is what prompted the argument....no one really knew what to expect this afternooon, if appeared.

I happened to have another shirt, since, earlier in the day, I thought I might be going out, so I brought a change of clothes. It was not the shirt I thought it was (grabbed the wrong yellow shirt) but it was better than an ultimate jersey with the number 21 and the nickname Bonzai on the back....so I changed shirts.

Then we walked out of the bathroom, girls all fancy, and walked into a HUGE rehearsal type room....maybe it was a soundstage? I'm fuzzy on the details. But it had beautiful hardwood floors, that were a bit slick for my sueded dance shoes, but really lovely. In the back of the room, all pushed into a pile, were a bunch of chairs, music stands, and what looked like recording equipment. They all sort of piled underneath of pull down screen that was movie-theater sized.

In the front of the room, sitting in a line of chair, sat the choreographer and his crew, which included a bunch of young, hot, thin and trim people of various races who could have come straight off of a show like "So you think you can dance" or from the movie "Black Swan" or some other dance movie such. They were all clearly from L.A.. Clearly.

The leads of the group were all in suits with bow ties. The ladies were in black skirts with white shirts, flowers in their hair or pinned to their white blouses.......and I was wearing a bright teal athletic skirt and a bright yellow flow-y shirt. And I was tall, lanky, not Chinese or Russian, and full of psoriasis spots. Talk about NOT fitting in. haha.

               The performance.....which turned out to be an audition.....which I was 
                              accidentally and unexpectedly a part of.....

Anyway.....they did a quick "staging" kind of run through of their routine to get a feel for the space.....and then they performed.

For only knowing the choreo for like 24 hours, and being nervous, I'm sure, I think they did really well. I enjoyed getting to watch it. And it was exciting being in a movie studio!

And then, the Chinese woman who was kind of helping run things?, started talking to the group, and apparently, they now wanted to see some lindy hop.....straight up social dancing. At this point...I was paired with one of the taller leads (before we left, I was told it would be good for me to come, because they might need to demo some lindy hop and I could do that), and we started discussing what we were going to do.

I was going to dance! In front of all of these professional dancers, in a movie studio! Whoa.

After some discussion of the Shim Sham, the California routine, etc...they decided on 3 swingouts and a circle in unison, and then forming a semi-circle and doing a jam, with each couple getting 8 8's. If you're not a dancer.....that means nothing to you, so don't worry about it. We were just going to social dance (ie, no routines or choreo, just dancing) in front of the little panel of dancers and such.

So they put on.....Chicago dancers, get ready for this....."Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" (what! That just happens to be the song my dance team in Chicago was choreographing a routine to when I left.....craziness....) and we started dancing. It was pretty terrifying, because I'd never really danced with this lead before (except for like 4 warm-up swingouts to try to feel each other out) and I was not planning on doing any performing or auditioning when I woke up this morning.....

....and then all of the other couples got to do fancy things, and mini-aerials during their "spotlight" (when each couple dances in the middle while everyone else just claps), and my lead and I basically just did swingouts, because I'm not throwing an aerial with anyone I've never danced with before. Also, the floor was pretty slick.

Anyway, it was REALLY fun.....but I def. don't feel like I put my best foot forward...so I feel kind of bad for my lead, and the rest of the dancers, for not showing my best dancing (which isn't even that fancy, so less than my best is really underwhelming).

But it was fine, and fun. Awesome. What a great experience.

And then.....

                                          ....Then, they wanted to see us solo dance.

WHAT!??!

Then the choreographer said: "Ok, now we're going to put on a song, and we want to see each of you do some solo dancing. We want to see how each of you move, your personalities, all of that. So just dance across the floor, stop in the middle and do a little something, and then do a little something into the camera as you dance off. We're going to put on "Sing, Sing, Sing". "

Uh......

At this point, I feel I should say: I'm a TERRIBLE solo dancer. TERRIBLE. I am awkward and gangly, and I don't know how to move my body or control my long limbs. AND, I can never think of anything to do. It's like improvisation as an instrumentalist.....if you couldn't think of any musical lines or licks. I just don't have the solo dance vocabulary solidly enough. This is definitely the place in my dancing where I need to put THE MOST work in......like, so much work. I'm a pretty good follow, and if you, as the lead, give me ideas, I can follow them, play with them, have some fun.....but on my own, I'm useless. What is it someone said once......they were a good follow, but a bad dancer? Yeah, that's me.

So imagine my.....uh....surprise and chagrin when I was told I was supposed to do a solo spotlight across a giant dance floor, in front of PROFESSIONAL DANCERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS who want to see what I've got, to see if they can use me in a movie.

Again, I say, WHAT?

Well, I did it. I did soemthing. I'm pretty sure it was really dumb, but I did it.

And then, the "star"...who is a beautiful and amazing dancer, went last, and did an amazing solo spotlight, for a good half to 3/4 of the song. If you've ever heard "Sing, Sing, Sing"....it's a freaking long song. She was amazing. They were definitely interested in her, for sure.

And at the end, the other dancers from L.A. came up to the group and congratulated us on a bangin' audition......which was the first time I really realized it was an audition......in fact, the first time most of the group, including the "star" dancer (I don't want to use her name, in case she doesn't want to be on the internet) really realized it was an audition.

So, I guess the team/dancers will be contacted if they want to use our expertise in traditional jazz dance, by way of choreo ideas, routines, or any of our dancers. I have a feeling they will definitely use the "star", and I'm kind of think they were underwhelmed by many of the rest of us.....but who knows.

Regardless of if I get to be in a Chinese movie or not, it was quite the experience.

                                                   Fancy Free Dinner

So then, after the dancing, the studio head person (I think, I'm not really sure who anyone was) told us we got dinner. So we loaded back on the bus, and were driven to another part of the lot......that was this very fancy building......almost like a banquet/conference center? And were led to the back, to a fancy restaurant.

And fed a huge, traditional Chinese meal. You sit around a round table, that has a huge glass lazy susan in the center, and the bring out course after course of food, and put it in the center, and you rotate the center to you, put some food on your plate, and rotate it to the next person. We were given probably 10 different dishes, not all my favorites, but most very yummy. Also given free beer. It was really lovely. And unexpected.

Somewhere around 8pm, we finished dinner and boarded the bus back to the city. On the way home, we were able to open the bus windows and enjoy the cool evening breeze....and as one of the dancers (he is from upstate new york, but has been in Beijing for 12 years) mentioned....it smelled like home. And that was wonderful. Really, really wonderful.

As it turns out, they weren't able to drop me off in Shunyi, but they did help me get a cab when we got back to the city, and I got home about 9:45 or so, and got to enjoy the beautiful breeze and fresh air the whole cab ride home as well. It felt like cruising in my convertible back home. Guys, don't take fresh air for granted. It is amazing. Cherish it.

Oh- and I could even see the starts last night! STARS! :) Don't take those for granted either.

                                                   Conclusion

So, I left my house in the morning expecting a normal day at dance practice.....and ended up doing a solo dance audition for an L.A. dance choreographer and dance troupe at a Chinese movie studio.

Ranks up there as one of the most random Saturdays in my life. And it was a really awesome experience. AND, it was really fun to get to know some of the Beijing dancers better.....really exciting.

Phew- that was a lot.

Now, off to do some shopping, and try to get my water turned back on.....

Skype me! I miss you!

When you turn on the sink.....and no water comes out

That's when you remember you're in China, and utilities are run differently.

So I dug out my water card, and tried to find the meter somewhere on my porch. I think I found it, put my card in, and saw that somehow there were like 300 units on my card.....so from my poor understanding of this system, that should mean I still have water?

But I don't. So much for that shower I wanted to take.

So I called my agent, Emily, on both phone numbers she has listed, but there was no answer. I may have gotten a voicemail, but I'm not sure?

So on this paper they left me, they said you can put money on your water card with cash only, in the Management Office, which is apparently located in Room 102, of Unit 3, Building 6. I have NO IDEA where that might be or what that means.

At the moment, the best thing I can think of is to go down to the guard, show him the water card and this piece of paper, and see if he can direct me. Hope this works....running water is a nice amenity.

                                       In the Future....

Starting Wednesday evening, I will be having an Ayi (which kind of means Auntie? Here in China they are the cultural norm, and they clean, do your laundry, pay your bills, do your ironing, some of the will cook, be a nanny to your kids, that kind of thing) come every Wednesday evening for about few hours to do household chores. I will definitely leave her money to pay the bills, so I don't have to worry about all of this stuff. It will be really awesome to have someone clean and do my laundry and ironing once a week, because I really don't like doing laundry. In fact, I've seriously contemplated moving to a nudest colony to avoid laundry. And ironing? I haven't ironed something in like 5 years. Back in Chicago, I had an ironing board...but my iron seems to have gotten lost in one of my many moves....I haven't seen it since before moving to Princeton.....so....

But since I don't have a dryer, and everything line dries, ironing will be more essential. Especially given our "smart" dress code.

I'm off to buy cleaning supplies and a mop for my ayi today. And I'm going to have one of my Chinese friends write out a grocery list in Chinese and hopefully the Ayi can do that too. She doesn't speak English, which is a bummer, because I really wanted to get to know her (I've had this same trouble with all of the cabs....I like to talk to the cab driver while I'm riding....and not being able to do that has felt awkward to me, and kind of elitist, and I don't like that feeling), but that seems like it might be hard. I did ask Emily (who brought her over last Sunday) for her name....but I made the mistake of not writing it down, and I've forgotten it already.

I've never had, what is essentially, a maid before and I'm not really sure how that works. It makes me feel weird- like someone else shouldn't be cleaning up after me. In fact, I've wanted to clean like 4 times already this past week, but I stopped myself because then I realized she wouldn't have anything to do. I don't know....it seems strange. But this is the culture here, and when in Rome.....

Getting around

I live in the Shunyi District- out by the airport.

It is akin, in Chicago terms, to living in one of the burbs out by O'Hare.....like Irving Park, Bensonville or somewhere out there. You can take the blue line or the metra into the city, but it takes some time. The easiest and most convenient way to get into the city from near the airport is to drive.

The same is true from my place. I can get to the EuroMart (which is this pretty Western shopping mall type place- have lots of stuff you need, pretty convenient)  in about a 20-30 minute walk, or a 10 minute bike ride, (I finally got a bike!), and I can get to school in about 10-15 minute bike ride. I can walk to some local shops and restaurants......but if I want to go anywhere really fun and exciting, I have to get a taxi. I can take the buses or the subway, but I haven't been brave enough to try out the subway yet. I'll let you know when I tackle that adventure.

                                           Cabs/Drivers

So here, it is pretty easy to hire a driver or hail a cab....most of the time. Though, a lot of the cabs in the city don't really want to drive you out here to Shunyi, especially late at night, because they don't think they'll find a fare back to the city. Just like cabs in Chicago.....most city cabs won't take you out to the burbs. If you hire a driver (and there are some the school has used that speak some English and give you a fair deal) you are guaranteed to get there and then be picked up at a time you designate, but of course, it costs a bit more.

It can be hard, though, to tell the driver where you want to go. Since most of the cab drivers don't speak English at all, you are never really sure if they've understood where you've tried to tell them to go.....so each cab ride into/out of the city so far has been slightly nerve wrecking. I don't really know the roads yet, so I can't exactly tell, visually, if we're going the right way.....and I can't really tell aurally if the driver has understood. There is really no word for "yes" in Chinese, and their mannerisms and such are so different than ours, I can barely tell if there has been any comprehension. But they didn't visibly say "No" or kick me out of the cab.....so I assume we're good to go. So far, it's been ok, and I haven't been horribly lost or taken far afield.

                                                  The Taxi Book

We got a taxi book when getting here, with addresses and phone numbers for a bunch of shops, hospitals, schools, night life locations, ect....that we may want to visit, and it has the address in English and in Chinese characters, so you just whip this puppy out and show it to the driver as you hail the cap. This is great!

Except....of course, the places in town I've wanted to go (aside from IKEA)....are not in this book.

                        When where you want to go isn't listed in the Taxi Book

So I've taken to google mapping them, and taking a picture of the directions screen, because it shows the name of the place in Chinese. Sometimes, this is a really easy fix.

                     

Sometimes, as was the case this morning, as I tried to figure out where Ultimate was......it is tricky....because when I google mapped the location....google maps pulled up like 8 possible locations, all over the city- and it took me a good 30-40 minutes of different googling and problem solving to figure out which location was the right one......but I finally did it! (Dear Ultimate Beijing....you should update your website with current information....just saying).

I've got the pictures of the Chinese names and/or maps of all of the places I want to go today lined up on my phone. I also asked the people on my dance team to send me the address to the place we're practicing in Chinese, so that's cued up in my email.

The only other problem now, will be getting home. Because, even though I have the address of my compound written down in Chinese, as well as 2 sentences in Chinese about which airport express way to take to get close....a number of people (even the local ones in Shunyi) don't really know where I live.

                         Short anecdote about how no one knows where I live

Like, the first few days I was here, after quite the adventure getting to and from IKEA, I was starving, and could not handle any more interactions with people I couldn't understand/who couldn't understand me. I was done...I needed to curl up in a ball and cuddle puppies or something. But I was starving. Upon moving in, we had been given some take out menus. The first one on the pile was "Annie's". It was very Western, and served pizza, pasta, salads, etc. They spoke English! Perfect. I called (from my landline, because I still don't have a cell phone here) and ordered,and was getting really excited to get my food....and then I tried to tell them where I lived. We cycled through 3 different people on the phone, and I tried the name of my complex, the name of the HUGE Air China building across the street, the bank and supermarket downstairs, the fact that it was close to another complex....nothing. Then they said I should go talk to my building guard and call them back. So, with nothing but the severe desire for comfort food giving me energy, I walked downstairs to find my guard. Who speaks exactly 0 English. I somehow managed to get him to let me use his phone to call Annie's back.....hoping that they'd answer and I could tell them, "hey, here's my guard, he can tell you where I live", and, of course, as luck would have it....the phone just rang and rang and no one answered. The guard wouldn't let me call back. And then he and his friend just seemed to laugh at me. Tired, starving, and even more dejected than before, I went back upstairs to my place, plopped on my couch, and attempted to recollect myself, to, from somewhere deep within, find enough mental energy to figure out a new plan for dinner, and enough social courage to brave the "no one understands what I want and I do know how to communicate anymore" feeling. I'll tell you the IKEA story later. I don't know if you've ever been in that situation, but being totally unable to communicate can be extremely emotionally exhausting and frustrating, and at this point in the day, I didn't have anything left.

Anyway, as I tried to think aobut braving the market and trying to figure out how to buy something I didn't really need to cook, but seemed edible.....I couldn't figure that out....and I just ended up falling asleep on my couch and skipping dinner altogether.

                                              A week later

A week later, I've gotten much more used to how things work here, and how to communicate more effectively. Knowing just the slightest bit of Chinese has been helpful, and not being completely overwhelmed helps too.

I feel rested and ready to tackle today, exploring the big city. We'll see what happens.

Blues Skies!

This morning I woke up and could barely believe my eyes!

For the first time since I arrived in Beijing.....which was now a week and a day ago (it has felt like a month, and it's only been a week....)

I woke up to blue skies smilin' at me! Nothing be blue skies do I see :) Seriously. It's sunny and beautiful. I can see the horizon, with all of the buildings and I think I can almost see the mountains! I was really starting to get bummed by all the pollution and dirty, grossness, so this is really encouraging. A lot.

It can't have come on a more perfect day, because today I'm going into town to watch some ultimate frisbee (today is their summer league tournament), and hopefully I'll at least get to toss the disc a bit.. Mostly, I'm just excited to meet the ultimate community!

And then....I'm going to dance team practice! I went out swing dancing Monday night (because their big dance night is Mondays, at a bar called CD blues....hmmm....Monday night dancing at a local bar....that sounds familiar!), and I was invited to join their performance team :) I guess they have an upcoming performance for a TV show, and in the next month or so their doing something for a movie. Sweet!

So basically, in a week, I've managed to set my life up with essentially the same schedule I had in Chicago. Dance on Monday nights, performance team practice on Saturday, and ultimate. Of course, I realize that my job has to come first, so I might have to drop some of this stuff as school gets going, but we'll see.

The philosophy of my school is amazing. I'll make a post about school and all, but they believe in the "work hard, play hard" and "Life balance" ideas, which is great, because at Princeton, my work/life balance was waaaay out of whack and I never want to do that again. I know as a music teacher, I will always spend a lot of time at work- and I love it, so that's fine, but I never want to FEEL as unbalanced as I was in Princeton, because then you burn out.....and that makes you a shitty teacher, which is no good for anyone involved.

Anyway, here's the view from my balcony on this beautiful blue skied morning! (sorry it's sideways, can't figure out how to turn it) Can't wait to go play some ultimate!

Things we take for granted....

....the fact that you can read the buttons on your electronics/screens.

Adventure of the moment.....

A couple days ago I bought some DVDS (you know, because they are super cheap here.....even if they may or may not be pirated....)

and I was sitting down after a looooong, mind boggling day (more on that later) to eat and watch a movie.....

But I accidentally hit some button the the remote that I can't read (you know, because it's in Chinese).....which sent my TV (which had formerly played American TV, somehow set up by satellite) into loud, white noise. After some more button pushing, I managed to get it to Chinese TV......about 10 minutes of more random, attempted educated guesses about button pushing on multiple remotes and the TV itself, and I managed to stumble back to the Satellite TV. I also figured out how to make the DVD play.

So then, I put the DVD in (after pressing all of the buttons on the DVD player to see which one opened it....because it was not the logical looking one), and was excited that it looked like it was about to play.....

....but then, as the sound on the menu screen started up, I realized that for some reason it was playing in French.

If you know me, you know that I'm a bit of a francophile, and I love the French language, but after the past couple days, my brain really doesn't want to think, it just wants to veg, so watching a movie in French did not really seem appealing.

15 more minutes of struggling to try to get the DVD to go to the menu setting so I could try to change the language (this includes time trying to find the right sized batteries to make the DVD remote work, since it did not have batteries and I figured that might be that I needed a remote to get to the menu.....but not AAA batteries were to be found (so I thought) ), and I finally decided to try to find help. Because I really wanted to watch this movie. Any movie. I just really wanted to not have to think anymore.

So I walked across the hall and decided to try to meet my neighbor.

This was a very good idea! He speaks English!

At first I just tried to borrow batteries (completely forgetting, btw, that I live directly above a supermarket and could have easily bought some.....seriously, my brain is fried), but he only had AA.....so then I asked, very politely, if he could possibly come over and read something on the TV....

So he came over and told me what all of my buttons meant, and read the characters that were showing up on the TV when I pressed them.....and still had no luck, until he noticed that the batteries in one of the remotes (which I had already checked, btw....did I mention my brain....is fried?) were actually the right size, so we put those in the DVD remote, and with his navigation help, I was able to change the DVD audio to English, with french subtitles (there is no option to have no subtitles)!!!!!

It only took.....um.....40 minutes.

To make the Chinese TV/DVD player stop playing the American DVD in French.

Ugh.

Though, I think I'll be very thankful that I have a very very nice and helpful neighbor, who seems about my age, and who speaks English! Yay! Thanks neighbor! (ps: his flat has a spiral staircase inside.....which means he has two floors- how sweet!)

Video more!

Sent from my iPhone

Video four

Video part 3

Sent from my iPhone

Video part 2

Video tour of my new flat part 1

Sent from my iPhone

Pictures!

Pictured below are parts of the sweet gourmet spread I got during my flight. That was the appetizer, dessert, and breakfast the next morning. Yes, I was watching Dane Cook...and then Tina Fey.

“Luck of the……Polish American Girl in China? I mean, I’ve got some Irish in my blood, so maybe that’s it……”

…..but seriously…..today/these past two days…..I have been really,
truly blessed. In the love and support I've received from family and
friends….and in the awesome way things have been going. Seriously, so
blessed and lucky. Thank you universe! I will pass the luck and
goodness on, I promise.

Plane

I was upgraded to fancy business class. I got a 3 course gourmet meal,
free alcohol, breakfast, 2 pillows, slippers, a toiletry kit, a comfy
comforter, noise canceling headphones, personal tv/music/games screen,
and I could fully lay down, in what was basically a bed….and it had a
back massager. For free. I took some pictures. After the "dinner" and
the excitement of the upgrade and fanciness kind of wore off, I fell
asleep from exhaustion, maybe about 2 hours into the flight….and I
woke up with 1.5 hours left….so that was a good night's sleep (night
or middle of the day, or whenever it was). So lucky and thankful.
Best time for random upgrade ever.

Currently, it's almost 5am in China. My plane landed at about 2:20pm
earlier today (Friday), or yesterday I guess. My sense of time is
still a bit off.

Landing

I deplaned, got my bags (of course, my third bag was one of the last
to come out….) and made it through customs pretty quickly and
painlessly. There was barely a line, and I had to do nothing except
walk through the gate. They didn't even try to take the food I had
buried in my carry-on (unlike in Aruba, where I almost got arrested
for trying to eat an apple….but that's another story).

Anyway, I walked out, and the headmaster and a woman from HR were both
there with a sign with my name on it, waiting for me. The last hour or
so of the flight, I kind of lost it, and I was fighting back tears
while walking through the Beijing Airport….so seeing a semi (as I'd
met him on Skype during our interviews) familiar and smiling face was
a HUGE comfort to me. I got to smile back, and mean it. They, and the
driver of the taxi/van, picked me up.


Air/Weather

At this point, I should mention, it was really hot outside. Like,
85-90 degrees….a little grey, and a little muggy. The sky looked kind
of like how the sky at home looks when it is stormy, except it wasn't
stormy. There was a slight acrid smell to the air, and my eyes burned
just the slightest bit, but beyond that, it really wasn't bad. In
fact, since I had been afraid that I was immediately going to choke on
the air, that some people mentioned was literally chewable, I was
quite glad to walk outside and be able to breathe freely. I was also
happy to notice no one else was wearing masks, so it made me feel safe
to take a deep breath.

As we started driving, I did manage to see blue skies and white clouds
in one direction, so that was really nice. Really, as we started
driving, it felt much like leaving any airport, in any city I've ever
been to. Seeing the blues skies really helped that. So far, really,
the only thing I've noticed about the air is the slight acrid smell.

Apparently, today is like a medium day (not bad, not good) as far as
air quality is concerned. One of my co-workers (who took me out to
dinner tonight- what an awesome system the school has in place!)
mentioned that on a good day, you can see the mountains from our flats
(everyone here seems to be British! I'm learning all of the British
lingo! Like my dress code for school is "smart dress"…..that is not
the same of a smart phone….haha)…..anyway, I LOVE mountains….and never
really thought I'd live anywhere with a mountain view….so that's
really sweet.

Speaking of where I live:




My new flat! (see how posh and British I'm being, like all the ex-pats around!)

You could read this- or just watch the video.

….is FREAKING AMAZING! Seriously guys, this place is huge! I live in a
13 story building (which I haven't done since freshman and sophomore
year in college- 13th floor Bromley represent!) on the 10th floor, so
I have sweet views. I have 2 balconies, one on each side, so I get
double views. Directly below me is the local market (the one where
Chinese go, and it is cheap) and a bank and some other shops. So
convenient! I already went downstairs to buy hangers so I can hang up
all of my clothes…in all of my GIANT CLOSETS! Seriously.

I have a small, but very nice and functional kitchen, and my school
supplied brand new pots and pans and a table setting and mugs and a
tea kettle, all free. Also, they stocked my fridge to help me get
through the next couple days, including fancy organic milk, eggs,
fruit, and two GIANT (600 mL) bottles of Chinese beer called Tsingtao.
Haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know. (side note: free alcohol
is so far a theme of my trip. The upgrade on the plane involved
unlimited free alcohol. I only had a glass of champagne and a glass of
wine with the gourmet dinner, but I totally could have had all of the
alcohol…..)

Right, back to my apartment. I'm currently sitting at my giant, built
in desk, which has adorable wall shelves above it, and a huge book
case beside it. They pre-paid all of my utiltites for the first week
or so, so I had wi-fi immediately, as well as central air and
everything else I needed. (see "Utilities" heading).

I have beautiful hardwood floors, a washing machine, a lovely guest
bedroom (come visit) and a HUGE living room/dining area. So huge, in
fact, that is has A BABY GRAND PIANO in it, two couches, and a dining
table, with space to spare. No, really. Currently, the baby grand
piano is locked, but my school is trying to talk to the landlord
(apparently an American business woman owns this place, but doesn't
need it at the moment, so rents it out) and they are going to offer to
pay to have it tuned if she'll agree to unlock it for me, now that
she'll know I'm a musician and music teacher.) Seriously….how cool is
that!

Let's see, I have a "lift", which all buildings don't have, so that's
nice. My front door doesn't have a handle. I guess that's safer here.
Because that's how my life works, I managed to get locked out and the
door stuck while my agent was trying to show me how it worked….but we
finally figured it out.

It was a big moment when I could open my own front door! (having no
handle makes it tricky guys….you have to push with just the right
pressure while turning the key just the right way….) And keys are
different here, they have 4 prong things…..it is hard to explain.

Oh right, back to my apartment….I have 2 bathrooms, one of which is,
again, HUGE, and in my MASTER SUITE. My bathroom also has a tub, which
apparently is not super common here. My bedroom is rather spacious,
with a desk and a wall full of closets! I guess I just have to buy
more clothes to fill all that space….I couldn't let it go to waste!
Haha.

They head master mentioned that this place is bigger and nicer than
most. It even has satellite tv that gets American channels (I didn't
even have that in Chicago), and I don't have to pay for that because
the landlord just pays for it!…..again, feeling very, very lucky!

Seriously, I could have AMAZING dance parties here…..now I just need
to make friends with all of the Beijing swing dancers. Or, everyone I
know and love needs to come visit!

Utilities

They do utilities differently here. Each utility (gas, electric,
water) has its own special card. You feed the card into the meter,
which is on your boiler or gas meter in your apartment, and you can
see how many units you have left. When it is getting low, you take the
card down to the bank, and much like an ATM machine, you insert it,
and add money to it. I'm still a little fuzzy on how it all works, but
I think I'll get the hang of it.

Emily, my "real-estate agent", who was here to greet us and show me
the ropes of my new place and sign the lease with me and all, was
trying to explain it all to me and show me. I guess she is hired by
the school to find apartments for the new teachers. She clearly did a
great job!


My first day in China


So after the headmaster and Amy from HR got me settled, gave me an
advance on my paycheck so I had some money to live off of for the
first month, and did some paper work things, they left, and left me
with Emily, who continued to show me around. She took me down the
street to get some passport sized photos taken, and that is where I
was able to spend my first Chinese money!

We then walked back, did a bit more in my apartment, and I had just
enough time to change (because it was freaking hot out and I was still
in jeans from my flight (because jeans are hardest to pack, so I just
wore them….) ) and run downstairs to the market entrance, where I was
supposed to meet one of my new co-workers, who was to take me out to
dinner. Emily walked me downstairs and said good-bye, adding that if I
needed anything, I could call her and she'd help me out. At this
point, it was 6pm.

I waited for a few minutes outside the grocery store, and many people
regarded me curiously. I started kind of walking up and down the
street, trying to figure out where I was supposed to be meeting this
person, and then jeep pulled up with a white woman inside who smiled
at me knowingly. I assumed this must be one of my new co-workers, so I
approached, and luckily, she knew my name! I hopped in, and we were
off. She took me down the road a bit, to what she called "ex-pat
country", where she drove me past the Mrs. Fields Cookies, the
Starbucks, the Subway, the Dominos, and the organic grocery store. She
mentioned that sometimes, you just need a break from China, and you
just need it to be easy, so it is nice to be able to come here.

At the moment, I have no interest, but I'm sure at some point, the
homesickness will set it, and the jolt of familiarity will be nice.
She showed me a few other things, before we ended up at the mall. We
went inside and had a lovely Malaysian dinner, which she treated me to
(seriously, this new school is doing it right!). The food was filing
and tasty, and the meal for both of us was like $21. So cheap! Anyway,
after some chatting, and her answering many of my questions, she took
me home, round about 8pm.

At this point, I went to the store downstairs and picked up hangers
(more spending Chinese money!) and came up to unpack. Got distracted
by the internet (just like at home! Except most of the sites don't
work here), and accidentally fell asleep on my new couch. I woke up
refreshed at like 1:30am….and couldn't go back to sleep. Yay Jetlag
and time conversion! So now it's like 6am China time on Saturday, and
the sun is shining, and I'm still not really tired, but I know I need
to sleep and try to get on some semblance of a normal schedule.

Saturday Plans

Today, I'm going to try to walk down the street (seriously, I live in
such a convenient location) and get a bike. Then I think I'm going to
bike down to the mall where we had dinner last night and get a
haircut. My co-worker said there was a good place that knew how to cut
western hair there.

I'm also going to try to take public transit for the first time….to
make it out to a swing dance practice time that they apparently have
from 4-6pm on Saturdays at a dance studio in town. We'll see how that
goes.

At 8pm tonight, all of the new teachers are supposed to get together
to go to a local pub and get to know each other and some of the
current staff, so that should be fun.

I've felt very taken care of since I arrived. I was not left alone for
the first 6 hours I was in country, so that was really nice.

Anyway, I'm missing home and the people there like crazy, but I'm
still feeling excited about my new adventure.


Contact Me!

I'll keep letting you know how it goes.
You should Skype me:

Lab7569

Or text me via my Google voice number, it'll go straight to my email
and I can text you back! Haven't figured out international calls that
way yet, but I think it's possible!

1-773- 368-8782

Cliche title quoting a song about air travel

Just paid $7 to get wi-fi access here in terminal E6, at O'Hare, as I wait for my plane. I thought I'd try to post now, since in a few minutes I'll be headed to Detroit, where I will rush through the airport to make my connecting flight, and take off for China. After Detroit, I'm not really sure when I'll next have phone or internet access. Or what my life will look like.


I will get off the plane in Beijing, and try to find the people from my school who are picking me up. I don't know what they look like..... or where they will be. Nor do I have any way to contact them. I hope they are better at finding me then I am at finding them. 

Then, I will get in their car/van/taxi/bus/?, and they will take me to my new "furnished, western style apartment". I don't really know what that means. It is unclear if I will have any roommates or if I will be living alone. I do know that I will have white linens, pillows, and white towels from the Beijing IKEA....

 But that is as much as I know about my new life. That, and the following itinerary: 
(Now, if I can't find internet or phone, at least you'll have an idea what I'm up to).


By the way....in case you were wondering....it is absolutely TERRIFYING to leave a fulfilling, happy, amazing life you love (I feel in the past year I had FINALLY created the life I wanted to be living) for the (almost) absolute unknown, on the other side of the world..... I have wilted into a sobby, weepy mess precisely 1.5 times this morning already.

But......hiding deep underneath the fear, anxiety, (so much anxiety spray has been used today.....and so very many deep breaths....), and the sadness.....I am excited.   

Detroit (look- Berry Gordy! Eminem!....just kidding.) 

 Edit- despite paying $7 for internet, the connection was spotty,  so I didn't get to post this until now, when I am sitting in Detroit. I barely noticed the flight, as I haven't really slept at all the past 3 days, I fell asleep before we really got in the air and woke up upon landing impact. I didn't even have to run through the airport, because my new gate, to pick up my flight to Beijing, was literally across the walking sidewalk from the gate where I de-planned from Chicago. 

The airport (at least Terminal A, Gate A50) is pretty swanky, and has this cool monorail thing going for it. 75% of the other people at this gate are Chinese (WHAT? AREN'T YOU SHOCKED!?) and the realization that this language and this culture are my new normal is slowly sinking in (someone just had to translate the P.A. announcement for me about the flight status.....)....but in the groggiest kind of way.....kind of like one of those dreams, where you hear your alarm, but you think it is part of the dream, so you try to turn it off in the dream, but it doesn't work, and you very slowly begin to realize that you need to wake up to make the noise stop, but you are so groggy and tired, and everything seems so heavy, you just can't seem to figure out how to wake up......life feels like that right now.......

Boarding soon. Actually really thankful I'm so tired, hopefully this flight will be painless. I've been known to sleep for 12 hours before.

Things I'd never thought I'd say: "I've gotta go, I'm getting ready to board my one-way flight to China". 

That sobbing.....scratch 1.5 times and make it a full 2.....or maybe 2.5 by now......

 ***********************************************************************************************************

Orientation Schedule 2013-14

Welcome to Beijing! Your Welcome Pack (which you will find in your accommodation) will help you through the first few days, but your formal Orientation programme begins on Monday 12^th August at 9am in Legend Garden campus.

Please make sure you are in room 110 in good time: signs at the main Reception will show you how to get there. Coffee and tea will be provided.

On Tuesday we will go for the medical check. Please do not eat breakfast but do bring a snack for afterwards.

Dress code for orientation: Smart casual

Monday 12th August- 9.00 start Room 110
Time	Session Name	Led by
8.35 8.45	Bus pick up for Capital Paradise residents Bus pick up for Rainbow Garden/Tianzhu Garden residents
9.00	Introduction and Essentials	Mel Ellis
	The essentials (toilets, emergency procedures) plus a brief introduction to what Orientation will cover, and details of social events for this week. Information re. duck dinner this evening.
9.10	Welcome and Introduction from CLT	David Mansfield and CLT
	Welcome from David Mansfield, Headmaster, and an introduction to the College Leadership Team and their areas of responsibility:
	Simon Herbert (Head of Senior School) Ruth Grant (Head of Junior School) Sarah Humphreys (Head of Early Years)		Cynthia Maclean (External Relations) Jayne Scott (Bursar)
9.30	Tour of Legend Garden campus (3 groups)		Ruth/Simon/Olivia
	Tour of Legend Garden campus buildings, which is where the Junior and Senior Schools (Key Stages 2-4 and IB) are located. To include locations of DCP personnel/admissions/marketing. After tour – there will be coffee and tea available. Break until 11.00am
11.00	Personal Administration	Maureen/Jayne Scott/Liu Ying
	An introduction to personal administration, including details of allowances and how to claim them, banking, finance and visas. There will be an opportunity for individual questions and for making claims at this time.
12.00	LUNCH  Lakeside café -. Please indicate at this time your confirmation for the CLT dinner this evening.
13.00	Life in Beijing/Life at DCB Q+A	Stephen Kaye, Nicola Fennemore, Nicholas Wolfe, Mel Ellis, Olivia Bugden
	Current staff will come along to provide advice. This session is designed to be interactive, so please come along with any questions you have on any aspect of living in China and Beijing, or what it is like to work at DCB.
13.30	Basic Chinese Lesson - optional	Jane Li
	Very basic guidance on key phrases that will get you around in a taxi, and cover your basic needs for your first week here!
14.30	Tour of Early Years campuses			Sarah Humphreys
	Tour of Riviera Main Campus and Little Riviera (Toddler, Nursery, Reception and Years 1 and 2). Two buses – one will drop off directly to homes, one will stop of at Jenny Wang’s supermarket before dropping off at home.
16.30	Legend Garden Block 5 residents – open internet/phone accounts at China Unicom office with Amy Li
18.30	Duck Dinner with CLT  (optional)                               CLT

Tuesday 13th August – 8.00 start
Please be aware that the timings for today may vary depending on how quickly the medicals are completed. It will be a long day with lots of waiting, so please bring something to keep yourself entertained!
Time	Session Name	Led by
8.00 8.10	Bus pick up for Legend Garden residents Bus pick up for Rainbow Garden/Tianzhu Garden residents
9.00	Medical at hospital	Rebecca and Oona (HR)
! please read !	! Important: please bring your passport (and your dependent’s passports), and some passport photos if you have not already given them to HR. The medical is a requirement for your working visa. Do not eat breakfast but bring a snack, such as fruit, to eat once you have finished. We have no control over how busy the hospital is, so there may be significant waiting time involved. The medical involves the following tests for height/weight, eyesight, blood test, blood pressure, ECG and chest x-ray. If you finish your medical early, please don’t leave the hospital- then we can move on as soon as everybody is done.
12.30	Chinese lunch- South Beauty	Maureen/Mel/Olivia
	Once the medical is finished, we will go for a Chinese meal so you can try some popular dishes. If you do not need to have the medical, please meet the group at the restaurant. During the meal, we will collect numbers for the optional activities for Wednesday afternoon.
14.00	ICT training, Legend Garden (Room TBC)	See staff named below
	2.00pm – all new staff issued with laptops. Steve Andersen introduces the systems we use and what they are for.  Basic mac skills supported by Olivia Bugden. Adam Taylor and Andrew O'Loughlin (mac proficient) support. 3.00pm – Studywiz basic skills for most with Stephen Kaye and Steve Andersen. Adam Taylor works with Mel on BlueSky. New staff can use current staff studywiz log in for access. 3.30pm – Sharepoint basic skills/using sharepoint on a mac for most with Steve Andersen.  3.00pm – SIMS for Daniel Nichol with Richard Hawkins/Chris McRobb. 4.00pm – SIMS for all – work in pairs/small groups with one of the new staff listed above EXCEPT Daniel Nichol who will continue to work with Richard. All other current staff to circulate and help.
16.30	Buses to begin drop off at homes

Wednesday 14th August – 9.00 start
Time	Session	Led by
8.35 8.45	Bus pick up for Capital Paradise residents Bus pick up for Rainbow Garden/Tianzhu Garden residents
9.00	Time in Schools	Heads of School
	Please see separate school schedules for activities and times.
Approx. 12.15	Lunch on campus
13.15	Options
	We will try to tailor this afternoon to suit your needs. Possible options are listed in the table below.
19.00	Informal drinks in town – information to follow (optional)

Possible Options for Wednesday Afternoon:

Personal	Professional
Ikea	Time in classroom
Auchan/Decathlon Shopping	ICT help
Ayi/driver help with HR	With Subject Leader/Year leader if they are available
HR/finance follow up	Time with Head of School
Tourist visit – by popular demand…
Time at home

Thursday 15th–Tuesday 20th August

Teacher Planning Days – Schedule to follow from Heads of Schools

Saturday 17th August

All staff social event – 14.00-17.00. More details to follow.