The pad

Since I've been spending so much time in my Beijing apartment, I figured it was time to give you a tour.

You've heard about the infamous squat pots, thankfully I don't have one in my place. However, my shower head is above my toilet. You can see the drain there on the floor. Keep your eye on that silver pipe, not only does it run from my toilet to my shower, it also goes to my kitchen sink.







Every morning I have to press a button on this water heater and wait half an hour for the tank to warm up.
I haven't run out of hot water, yet.
















This is my bedroom. According to MTV Cribs, I am supposed to say this is where the "magic" happens. Trust me, there is no magic happening here. I do have a nice view, however. (See the pic below)

My bed is about 2 feet off the ground. It came with a box spring but no mattress so I had to buy a 3 inch thick pad which is pretty common around here. Maybe my back will be all straightened out after a year!



Ahh, the courtyard. It is filled with people at all hours exercising, dancing, visiting. It's really why I chose this place. Plus, when it thunders the echo from the surrounding buildings is really cool. Just outside the gate is a women with a fruit stand.










When I am not recovering from bacterial infections, I try to cook my own meals. My kitchen doesn't have an oven, just two gas burners and a microwave. I am getting pretty good at burning things.

















The apt. didn't come with any cooking utensils or pots so I had to go out and get all that stuff. I would say the entire kitchen is about 7x5 feet. Pretty small. Do you notice that same little silver pipe? And yes, I do need to do dishes...













We have arrived at the living room. The couch folds in to a bed but trust me, it looks way cooler than it is. The damn thing lacks padding and is taped in a few places. Ahh home sweet home.










You are also looking at my dining room table/desk- ok mainly my desk. In fact, it's where I am sitting right now to write my blog. I rarely have the TV on. There is one English news channel but it is pretty lame and anchored by this old British guy.

I pay 3,000 yuan ($438 US) a month and had to put down 5 months were of rent before I even moved in. There were a lot of up-front costs in my move to China.

I didn't get a chance to touch on laundry. I have a little washing machine in my hallway with keys in Chinese. The water empties into a drain on the floor near my bathroom sink. No dryer. I have to hang my clothes up in my little pantry off the kitchen. Can you say fabric softener?! People- my underwear are starting to chafe. Ok, no more complaining- I am recovering from my illness and have a week off of work for the National Holiday. It doesn't even count as vacation time! I love it. Since when would you get a week off of work for no reason in the US? Things are looking up.

First hospital trip

Well, it happened sooner than I would have liked. On Tuesday, I had to make my way to an international hospital in a cab, in the rain.

After a night of laying on the bathroom floor with a fever and excrutiating back pains, I decided to see a doctor. Being shown to an internal medicine department, a clearly puzzled doctor ordered blood and feces tests. This next part gets graphic folks so stop reading if you get queasy with these types of things...

It took several attempts to draw blood out of a vein in my hand. Much crying took place on my part because of the pain and on the part of my nurses who huddled around this scarred American not knowing what was going wrong. After getting out a few droplets, I was given a small plastic container and two wooden popsical sticks. There were no instructions, I was just pointed in the direction of the restroom. How the sticks were supposed to work remains a mystery to me, let's just say, the lab got its sample.

There isn't such a thing as privacy in a Chinese hospital. You can be in a room with a doctor, with the door shut, and people still walk in trying to get the doctor's attention. You are supposed to place your registration paper outside the doctor's door but the Chinese are aces when it comes to cutting in line. Literally, I had to put my arm out to block someone from jumping in front of me for a diagnosis.

Turns out, I have an infection in my bowels. I say have because 5 days later, I am still not 100%. I took antibiotics and some Chinese pooper stopper (technical name, I know) and still my insides are trying to crawl out of my body.

The problem is (besides the obvious lack of recovery) I don't know what caused this. I am now buying big jugs of water and am no longer randomly ordering unknown Chinese cuisine- see previous post for an explanation of what I mean.

Any world travelers have suggestions?

Yummy

So far today, I have managed to do two things accidentally. I peed on my foot while using a squat pot and ate coagulated blood. The first accident is understandable if you know my lack of balance. The second, happened while I ventured out to eat in a local restaurant on my own.

It was recommended to me by coworkers and is so small, I would compare the entire place to the size of parent's kitchen. Most restaurants I eat at have menus with English translations or at least pictures to point to. This one just had a list of dishes printed in Chinese characters. After drawing many stares from fellow diners, I finally just pointed to something and crossed my fingers. What I got was a chicken dish- at least that is what I will tell myself. The chicken is prepared here with the bones in. Basically, imagine the bird just being chopped all to pieces with a hatchet then put in a stir fry. Some Chinese eat the bones, some do not.

I picked up my chicken chunks with my chopsticks (say that 3 times fast) and then nibbled around the bone. My dish also came with celery and some peppers. There were also several gelatinous meaty colored blobs. Feeling the high from venturing out on my own, I decided to taste one. Texture: like jello. Flavor: comparable to a fried piece of fat. That's what I thought it was til I asked one of my friends. He was a little too happy to tell me I mistakenly ate coagulated animal blood.

Now, of all the things in China that I had hoped to avoid eating, this topped my list. Yes, that's right. I would rather nibble on some dog than take a bite of blood.

There's so much more to tell you about my dining experiences over here. For instance, I ordered a draft beer this weekend only to be told later that is was made with formaldehyde. Apparently other foreigners discovered this after halucinations and nasty hang-overs.

Its not all bad. In fact, some of the flavors over here are amazing combinations I have never tasted in the States. More on the subject of food later...

Now, I need to address all the requests for pictures. Here's some, more will follow.

This is the enterance to my apartment building. From what I can guess, the maintenance workers all sleep on the first floor. I live on the 10th.

There are hundreds of bikes lined up outside every building in Beijing. It's how people get around because the majority can't afford cars. Be careful where you walk as cyclists here have no fear on crowded streets or sidewalks. I've also noticed most people don't even lock their bikes up.

This is the outside of my apartment building. I live in a compound consisting of four housing units surrounding a park. All of it is fenced in with 2 enterance areas posted with guards. Behind me is an old section of Beijing with traditional block homes. They have no running water or electricity. People use a public restroom down the street for showers and such. In front of my complex is a brand new high rise mall and WalMart. It amazes me how drastic the scenery changes in just a span of 3 blocks.

This is a man in the park outside my bedroom window (the one in my complex). He has taken off his shoes and is walking on stones cemented in the ground. I guess this is for therapeutic reasons. It is so neat to see everyone use the open space they have. Next to him is a bunch of exercise equipment which is used round the clock.

You have to walk where you walk in Beijing. On my way to work I noticed a pile of bird droppings next to a building. Looking up, I discovered these bird cages hung outside someone's window. They love birds here and you can often find their owners taking them for "walks" in the park to enjoy a change of scenery.

I mentioned bikes, but there are also hundreds of scooters. This is one guy who has his loaded down with shoe boxes. I have to say the people here are pretty inventive- they can load a scooter up with more stuff than I could imagine possible.

Day 1

You can’t change China. China changes you. Those were the first words of advice from one of my new colleagues. I met him just hours after getting of the plane. So far, his advice has proven true. For one, this short experience has made me stronger.

Let me start at the beginning with a look back at my airport experience. Anyone

who knows me, knows I don’t travel light. I had two large suitcases weighing a combined 140 pounds. I also packed, or should I say stuffed, a large backpack and had my computer case and a purse. I had to plan for a year long trip with the knowledge that I couldn’t buy deodorant, razors, shoes and pants in my size, as well as other personal items. I checked United Airlines baggage policy, weighed my luggage beforehand and headed to . After going to the wrong terminal and not fitting into an elevator with my bags (how bad is that?), I prepared to say goodbye. I set my set everything on the scale knowing I would have to pay an oversized luggage fee. I wasn’t prepared for the agent to tell me my bags wouldn’t be accepted at all. Apparently, the website failed to mention the criteria for international luggage which must weigh considerable less or cost you considerable much more. At the ticket booth, I ended up rearranging what had been tediously packed only to leave several books at the airport as well as tears. Of course to top it all off, my seat was next to a stinky-breathed man on his way to take pictures for the Paralympics which he insisted on telling me all about. I held off breathing and feigned interest.

13 hours later, I landed in Beijing. Because it is the start of the Paralympic games here, we were given an official welcome as we got off the plane. The airport was lined with representatives as well as a mascot dancing around. After walking through a SARS scanner (it reads your body temperature) and going through customs (they only scan your luggage on a conveyer belt- don’t actually look through it by hand) I was greeted with my name on a sign. 2 Xinhua representatives were there to pick me. We loaded everything in a van and headed downtown. The cleanliness along the roads is amazing, as is the neatly groomed hedges and flowerbeds. I asked if the highway was new and was told it wasn’t. Fooled me. Talk about going all out to impress the international community.

Once in town, I couldn’t look out the windows at all. Several times we were almost hit by vehicles or almost hit people riding bikes. I just buckled in and held on. Drivers here really love to honk their horns and aren’t afraid to drive in one if not several lines simultaneously. Instead of going to my hotel, the van pulled over so I could meet my boss in front of an apartment building. It was bright pink and I knew from the get-go very old as well. Mr. Bossman had been helping look for places and he found this one. He thought it was so good for me in fact that he went ahead and paid a deposit on the place without me actually seeing it or giving him permission to do so. I thought it wise not to complain, so I went inside with him, as well as a real estate agent and the 2 ladies from work. All of us crowded into a small one bedroom. The mattress was stained, the kitchen had a one-burner “stove” and there was a bucket to help me “flush” the toilet. Having seen other places online, I knew there could be much better so I had to risk offending my boss and tell him I would rather keep looking. At this, everyone went in to a fluster in Chinese. I had no idea what was being said but the agent got on the phone and we soon were being taken to another apartment blocks away. The landlord turned out not to be there so we started walking and got a chance to see a third place…which I would eventually end up renting.

Past an office of sorts and metal mailboxes we made our way to the elevator. To get the lights on you have to stamp on the cement ground. We made our way up to the 10 floor. The apartment was inhabited by a young Chinese couple. You walk in through a metal door and then a wooden door behind it, into a living room. There is a pleather couch, glass table and a TV. There were also wooden floors. I got a good feeling about it. The kitchen has a refrigerator as well as a two gas burning stove on a stone butcher’s block. The bedroom furniture is new and includes a wardrobe for me to put my clothes. The bathroom is the truly interesting part. There is a sink area separate from the Western style toilet (yeah, I can sit down!). The shower is in the same closet sized room above the toilet. Ugh. I have to turn on an overhead heater 30 minutes before I plan on taking a shower if I want warm water. The same pipe that is in my kitchen sink runs to my bathroom sink, to my toilet and then yes, my shower. Yummy. After much conversation, again all in Chinese, Mr. Bossman worked out an agreement for the landlord to buy me a washing machine (no drier) and a microwave which I think, they think, I will need to make bread. Either way, I can survive in this place will tell you much more about it in another post.

It was then off to the hotel. After dropping my bags off, which made the desk clerks say wow (in Chinese), Mr. Bossman took me to dinner at my work’s cafeteria. It was a buffet style and I had no idea what any of the food was. I just grabbed what he grabbed which included a bowl of rice, a bowl of porridge, and some meat/vegetable combination in brown sauce. I successfully ate with chopsticks, to Mr. Bossman’s surprise. I noticed that no one had anything to drink to which I was told that that is what the porridge is for. People just pick up their bowls of soup and wash down their food that way. Meal complete it was off to see my workspace. Yes, this is still the same day, just hours I got off the plane.

My work's offices are very modern and very nice as are the people I will be working with. I will tell you all about them later. By this time, I was exhausted and looking forward to a good night’s sleep as I would have to be up at 8 AM for my medical exam. Sleep just wasn’t in the cards for me, however, as the AC was controlled by a remote, all in Chinese, and I was either sweating or freezing cold all night. I just had to laugh and get through it as day two would prove just as interesting…

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Paralympic Games

This past week, I was given a free ticket to the track and field events for the Paralympic Games. (Keep your comments about the appropriateness of this to yourselves!) Talk about amazing. The Bird's Nest and Water Cube are beyond anything you saw on television. Literally, the buildings took my breath away.





This is the start of a wheelchair race. Even though our seats were up high, we could still see and hear everything.







These are just some of my co-workers. Thankfully, they didn't mind that I tagged along with them. The trip to the stadium took us about an hour using Beijing's subway system. Olympic Village is in the North of the city. I live and work in the SW.




Even though it's the Paralympic Games, millions of Chinese still turn out to cheer on athletes. Being a host country really has meaning to these people. T-shirts list China's gold medal counts, TV is filled with inspirational commercials and Olympic logos are plastered all over the city.






Check out the little red car. It was driven by remote control and used to carry the javelin back from the field. In other words, the athletes would throw it and then a judge would put it in this car to be driven back to the starting line. Hilarious!








The medal ceremonies were squeezed in between events. We were standing for some country's anthem every 5 minutes. Anyone know the words?







America's next great Olympian? I think not... unless anyone has heard of a wine drinking competition???

Day 2

Sorry it’s taken me awhile to post. I was trying to figure out why certain words had been removed or censored out of my website. Hopefully, the problem is resolved. Now, on to Day 2….

At 8 AM Thursday morning I was picked up by the human resources director and driven to a medical examination site. Everyone who comes in to China has to be free of any heart problems, STD’s or “mental diseases”. I knew this was going to be an interesting morning as the sign outside the building read, “Alien examination site.” I wish I would have snapped a picture. Once inside, I stood in line with 100’s of foreigners waiting to pay my fee, get blood drawn and have a chest x-ray. It is an expensive and long process. With my approval receipt in hand, it was off to sign the lease to my apartment.

We met at the real estate office and sat there for 2 hours so they could talk through a booklet full of paperwork and red stamps. I had no clue what was going on. In fact, I ended up not signing anything at all as it was decided that it would just be easier to put the place in my boss’s name. Here, I was required to pay 3 months rent upfront, along with a deposit and the real estate fee. Of course they don’t take cards so I had to run down the street to the bank while everyone waited. The ATM had an English option so I followed the directions. No cash available the screen kept saying!

My boss ended up paying for everything with the agreement I would pay him back when I figured out what was wrong with my account. The lease process wasn’t over yet…We (landlord, boss, real estate agent and myself) had to walk to the police station to register my address. Again, I sat there as they talked for 30 minutes in Mandarin. I had to show the police my passport and get yet another sheet of paper with a red stamp. In China you have to register with the police within 24 hours of arrival to let them know where you. You can get in big trouble if you don’t do this.

After quickly dropping off my bags and getting my keys, it was off to my first day of work. (Keep in mind, I had only been in China for 20 hours at this point!) My boss turned me over to my co-workers for training. I learned how to get in to the system and what standards are required for these news stories. I will tell you all about my coworkers in another post.

After a long day, I was on my own to walk home. It takes me about 20 minutes and I only have to cross one major, and I do mean major, intersection. Halfway there I realized I didn’t have a mattress, pillow, sheets or a towel to make it through the night and next morning. Instead of going home, I had to make my way to the Wu Mart – you guessed it, that’s China’s Wal Mart.

The store deserves a post of its own. You walk in, get a cart and then are immediately overwhelmed with the number of people. It is like the busiest shopping day in America (right after Thanksgiving) every day in this store. There are also employees in every aisle waiting to help you find what you are looking for or to push you to make a purchase. For example, every brand of cosmetics, like Mabeline, had its own display counter with a saleslady. There was also a woman who specialized in cleaning products. She loves putting toilet bowl cleaner in my hands. I just had to soldier through the craziness and my mind switched in to survival mode.

Because my apartment only had a box spring and no mattress (pretty common over here), I had to figure out how to get a mattress pad. It’s not as easy as it sounds when everything is in Chinese. How do you know if you are getting the right size? Same problem with the sheets. After an hour of shopping, I made my way up to the counter to pay. Even the counters are different. There is no conveyer belt to set your stuff on. It’s just a small metal square for just a few items. They also don’t give you any bags, you have to bring your own. That’s where I also learned Wu Mart didn’t take any of my credit cards. The clerk went in to a tizzy. Finally, someone who spoke English came over to inform me that I could only use cash. This was a problem seeing as I only had so much money to get me through the week. In the end, I had to put the TP and some other items back because I didn’t have enough to pay. No worries, I improvised. I had brought with me a small pack of Kleenex.

Flustered yet triumphant, I managed to walk the 6 blocks back to my apartment. Keep in mind how much I had to carry: sheets, duvet, mattress pad, etc. Not a small load. Of course if gave the Chinese even more reasons to stare at me. Exhausted I made my way upstairs, made my bed and collapsed. After all, it would only be a few hours of sleep before I would have to return to work for my first official full day.