New Addition

It has not been an easy adjustment returning to a family of two in a toddler-less house. Besides the obnoxious yet hysterically funny 7:30am wake up blast of noise, our apartment is a relatively quiet place.

Today, that all changed.

Mao joined the family. His vigorous splashing maneuvers have really livened up the place.

Wall Art

Thanks to a picture from a friend in Cambodia, I learned that Asian walls are the ultimate white boards. I borrowed a marker from the office and have put it to good use in my kitchen. The walls are speckled with poems and quotes, but the wall closest to my cooking area bears the reminder that I am not in the states anymore.

Church Dating

We visited another life group tonight. Our church dating experience has been rather odd, on the verge of comical yet terrifying. We knew our options in this country would be limited, but we did not expect to be thrown back into the dark ages of ultra conservatism. The group was studying A Purpose Driven Life, the chapter titled "How to Become God's Friend."

Zach and I shared the discreet, bug eyed, are-you-kidding-me look across the room at each other. We didn't say a word.

Once again, we were told "you look like interesting individuals" during a brief introductory conversation--I have never been told that prior to coming to Beijing. Plus, I would be negligent not to mention the "oh, Portland has churches" comment after telling where we moved from earlier this month.

We are rogue, hipster Christians in Beijing looking for a community.

Olympic Wonderland

A hop, skip and brief subway ride from our house is the Olympic Wonderland. Acres upon acres of green space, lakes, meandering paths and humongous venues that held the world spotlight three years ago. Every time we have ridden the subway since arriving in Beijing, one of us has remarked, "We need to go to the Olympic Green soon." Line 8 (also known as the green line) has been taunting us for a month.

Today, the taunting ceased.

The weather is incrementally warming each day and the local flora is busting with tinges of color. Under toasty sunshine, we walked and gazed at the man made behemoths. We reminisced about watching the Opening Ceremonies with the Paces. We tried to imagine what the venue looked like during the games. We fell in love with the park portion--daydreaming of our return with a picnic, a blanket, Nooks and a frisbee.

As we walked the length of the Olympic Green, darkness fell and another level of beauty was displayed. The Chinese are obsessed with lighting buildings; the oddest and dirtiest buildings will always have multiple spotlights shining on the exterior. Even as we giggled about the lighting infatuation, we conceded that they chose well when lighting the Bird's Nest and Water Cube.

I really enjoyed Zach's commentary during our stroll. During his last visit to Beijing, the Olympic venues were shrouded in mystery and many layers of plastic. It was interesting to hear his recollection that the group could not figure out the purpose or actual design of the Water Cube.

Unbeknown to us, the World Diving Championships are taking place this weekend at the Water Cube so we didn't get to spend much time wandering around the exterior due to overzealous Chinese ticket scalpers. 

I wasn't too upset. I foresee us spending many hours in the Olympic Green.

Ithaka

When you set out for Ithaka
ask that your way be long,
full of adventure, full of instruction.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - do not fear them:
such as these you will never find
as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare
emotion touch your spirit and your body.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul,
unless your soul raise them up before you.

Ask that your way be long.
At many a Summer dawn to enter
with what gratitude, what joy -
ports seen for the first time;
to stop at Phoenician trading centres,
and to buy good merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensuous perfumes of every kind,
sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;
to visit many Egyptian cities,
to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.

Have Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But don't in the least hurry the journey.
Better it last for years,
so that when you reach the island you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She hasn't anything else to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn't deceived you.
So wise you have become, of such experience,
that already you'll have understood what these Ithakas mean.

New Green and Gold

Thanks to the Five Star Market, a vast labyrinth of bartering and knock-offs, Zach can represent the local soccer team, Beijing Guoan.

For the record, the jersey is a XXXL. It came with shorts that neither of us can wear.

It goes well with current green and gold scarves.

Foreign Irony

We walked past the Old Summer Palace ruins yesterday. A friend had toured the grounds on Saturday and shared this historical synopsis with us:

A French Jesuit designed and built the Old Summer Palace, where the emperor kept his concubines and dealt with foreign leaders. One hundred years later, the French burnt it down. The Chinese are still touchy about the pillage and plundering of their first Summer Palace and will look at foreigners with detest within the walls.

I cannot wait to visit.

Grumpy in China

My sinuses have revolted against the sudden inundation of smog and smoke, thus I have a stuffy head.

Church dating is stressful. It is weird and unnerving that most churches require a passport to enter.

Christian culture is weird here.

Another learned lesson: question which restaurant we are going to upon being invited to dine with friends. If the answer is outdoor, no problem. If it is indoor, more than likely I will have to decline. Today, we were invited to eat pizza. The Cro's Nest door held a large No Smoking sign, but inside was chain smokers and no windows. I couldn't breathe and had to depart before even sitting down, plus popped a migraine pill as precaution.

I miss my half pint housemate and the pitter patter of feet above my head.

Though the excitement remains, there are moments when helplessness is in the forefront of my mind. It freaks me out.

I detest feeling as though I have been a victim of a bait-and-switch tactic with my job.

I need a nap.

Grocery Complexity

One of the hardest things since moving to this foreign land has been navigating menu planning and grocery shopping. I thrive in planning and executing an eating regime in the most cost effective way. I meticulously write out menus, grocery lists to reflect the menu then write prices next to items while shopping to track inflation or deflation. The process has been in play for many years, long enough that it is second nature and many notebooks have been filled.

I moved to China with a notebook specifically designated for menu planning.

The process is not as easy in China; it is rather hard and exhausting. My system has been thwarted and I feel as though so many hours have been spent in stores or marketplaces trying to understand the layout, which ones have the better prices and inventorying their stock. The best baguette is found in the basement bakery of the Big Spring shopping mall. Walmart has many import items such as cheese and cereal. Chayosifa is the right location for most goods including tortilla shells and (very small) hamburger buns. Produce can only be bought in the alley between the ICCI Taiwanese pancake stand and the elementary school entrance that is surrounded by large pencil statues. A bag of cooked yummy noodles costs five yuan on the street when a pack of uncooked noodles in the store costs ten yuan.

Compound the issue with a language barrier. Rarely will an English heading appear intermixed with the Chinese characters. Even then, the heading is badly translated; white powder fine sugar coated, for example. This leads to many hours sniffing odd items, guesstimation based on surrounding items and much pointing and gesturing. A fair share of items have been lugged home with the disclaimer, "I think this might be..." We are still trying to deduce what a particular black spice (that we thought was black pepper) actually is and its intended use.

Though I feel like a two year old clumsily wandering a large unknown world, there are the moments of triumph. Walking home with a bag filled with fresh mushrooms, potatoes, a leek, garlic and a baguette so that a pot of potato-leek soup can be made and enjoyed with fresh baked bread. Laughing with the spice vendor as we tried to discover whether she had ground cinnamon and coming to the conclusion that it wasn't in her inventory. Yelling at the fruit stand vendor for trying to rip me off and successfully negotiating the correct price. Giggling over the weird food things that the FDA would faint over and immediately ban within the United States.

When the triumphs are not so great and create-in-a-wok inspirations have run dry, I admit my failings to Zach and walk across the street to the red awning. Choache smiles as I walk through the door, laughs and says in very broken English, "potatoes tonight?" Through a computer translation program, gesturing and many vocab lessons for both parties, dinner is chosen for the evening. He ceremoniously hands me the to-go bag and chopsticks with a jaunty bow and smile. I return the smile, walk out the tiny red door and say to myself, "Sometimes it is good for systems to flounder."

Combo v.2

We stumbled across another grocery store combo--olive oil and a non-alcoholic malt beverage. Not as market savvy as the peanut butter/Coors combo, but extremely funny nonetheless.

Signs of Spring

On my way to work I noticed that the trees and bushes have been unwrapped and watering has begun. The days are getting warmer and there are hints that spring is soon.

The Other Side of Town

Today, we jaunted across town to the expat area. The land of consulates, western restaurants, shops an Jenny Lou's Import Store. After we perused the shelves of Jenny Lou's (we have cheese!), we ate dinner at Peter's Tex Mex restaurant. A restaurant complete with Texas shaped napkin holders, ceramic chickens, honky tonk music and Chinese waiters clad in Texas shirts and red bandannas.

It was yummy to have a (semi) taste of home and great conversation with fellow teachers.

Who Am I Today?

This beautiful quote was placed on my Facebook wall today by a friend. It made me smile, reminisce and think, "Who am I today--Christopher Robin or Winnie the Pooh?"

Christopher Robin was sitting outside his door, putting on his Big Boots. As soon as he saw the Big Boots, Pooh knew that an Adventure was going to happen, and he brushed the honey off his nose with the back of his paw, and spruced himself up as well as he could, so as to look Ready for Anything.

--Tales of Winnie the Pooh

Temple of Heaven

To walk among architectural brilliance is humbling. The intricate detail work among China's historical markers continues to amaze me--gate after gate, pagoda after pagoda. Each color among tiled roofs, columns, ceiling tiles and eaves was specifically chosen to represent a particular piece of protocol. Each building constructed for an exact purpose, even the Seventy Year Door.

During one emperor's reign, he reached the old age of seventy. The vastness of the courtyards and grounds was wearing on his feeble health. After much deliberation, it was suggested that an entrance be constructed to shorten the ceremonial route for the emperor. He agreed (with great enthusiasm, I am sure), but decreed that no emperor after him would use the door until they became seventy years old; he felt one had to earn the shorter route. Ironically, he was the only emperor to reach the age of seventy and was the only one to ever walk through the gate.

A few walls over, we found the Sixty Year Door. Clever emperors.

I love visiting the local historical sites for many reasons, but my favorite is that I can be close to the buildings and artifacts. There are a few locations that have rope restraints or gates, but for the most part I can touch the columns, the intricately carved cornerstones, the window panes and walk freely among beautiful buildings. It is a liberty that I am immensely enjoying and appreciative that this society allows it.

We plan to visit the Temple of Heaven again in order to see the gardens in full bloom, as I am sure it will reveal another layer to its beauty. As we meandered our way back to the subway station I turned to Zach and said, "We are living our dream; it is beautiful."

Informationless Bubble

Since we can't read Chinese and our internet availability has been limited, we have been living in an informationless bubble. Thanks to Facebook and an impromptu Skype chat with the Labrums, we found out about the Pacific Rim woes within the last 24 hours. As I walked to work this morning, there was no mistaking the headlines at the local magazine stall even with advance knowledge.

Sushi Discovered

I remember during my first visits to China that our hosts would talk about eating out rather than at home. Upon questioning such logic, they would explain that the Chinese kitchen is cumbersome and ill equipped to make many foods, plus it is cheaper to eat out rather than buy food. As they put it: China has created a culture of social eating. I scoffed at their reasoning.

Ten years later, I get it.

Our kitchen has two gas burners; nothing more, nothing less. We have one skillet and two pots. If I cannot concoct a meal in either a skillet or a pot, it doesn't happen. Obtaining a toaster oven is a possibility, but that doesn't expand the options exponentially. Ultimately, it is cheaper to eat from the street vendors. A bag full of stir fried noodles is five yuan (75 cents) and it feeds two hungry adult humans. 

All this to say, we have discovered our neighborhood cuisine. Tonight, we hit the jackpot. SUSHI! Granted it is a smidge different than the states (banana, anyone?), but the different concoctions were delicious and unique. Price: Four different rolls (12 pieces each): 40 yuan ($7).

We will probably be found at this window frequently.

Postponed Celebrations

My birthday celebrations will span the month, not because I celebrate all month normally but rather I had to work. All potential plans were thwarted when a fellow teacher had to make an emergency visa run to Hong Kong. It is hard for a husband to concoct a surprise plan B when at this point we are completely lost the majority of the time. However, he did find a flower shop and chose two tulips for me.

No Small Feat

It is no small feat to equip a Chinese apartment. Unlike the states, no process is quick within this country. To open a bank account, it took two hours. To register with the local police, thirty minutes; not including the hour of walking throughout the neighborhood in search of the station. To buy household goods is a forever process. Each addition to our hutong is cause for celebration; the past couple of days we have bought three new items.

Meet Myrtle, our water cooler. Ironically, most Chinese apartments come with such a device. Our landlady is stingy and shady; after our purchase, we discovered that the apartment contract states that one is in the apartment. It is currently missing, so we hope this purchase will be reimbursed.

We got a broom and dustpan. An absolutely amazing invention that I am ever so grateful to have after not owning one for a week. Plus, the Chinese dustpans have a tall handle (brilliant!) but it doesn't completely compensate for the broom handle only being three feet tall.

The windows have curtains! I went to the local Golden Five Star market, a place not made for the faint of heart. It is huge, overwhelming, packed to capacity, a fabric lover's paradise and the epitome of Chinese. I loved it. The language barrier is always an extra challenge, but add different measurements and it was an experience. An hour later, I walked away with six meters of heavy duty material for a mere $15. Plus, the lady sewed the hems.

Yes, I have already rearranged our bedroom.

Next on the list: tension rod, table/chairs and toaster oven.

Rise and Shine

Zach had left for his class; I was tucked within the bed covers, lounging, postponing the inevitable. The morning light filtered through the caged windows. Sounds of an awakening Beijing was heard from the streets below--bleating horns, bicycle bells and shouts of Chinese greetings.

The tranquility of the morning was rudely disrupted by a squawking PA system. A harsh and punctual voice harked instructions, loud enough to startle and alarm me. Upon closer inspection, I discovered the neighborhood basketball court covered with high school students dressed in matching green and white jumpsuits. After a few minutes of turning circles upon angry Chinese man's orders, cheesy music began to play and the students started a pre-choreographed workout routine. Arms up. Arms down. Two squats. Four jumping jacks. Repeat. The routine lasted for ten minutes, with variations.

The music ended; angry Chinese man gave one last order which caused the regimented lines to collapse. The giggles and murmurings of student conversations wafted from the court as they walked into the surrounding buildings.  

Once again in silence, I had two thoughts. First, sleeping past 7:15am during the week will be impossible. Second, I completely understand how the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony committee was able to pull off thousands of drummers working in synchronization; the population has been training for years.

Moving In

Armed with multiple (unknown brand) cleaning supplies and ferocious 'attack-the-nasty' modes, Zach and I conquered the grossness of our new apartment.

 

Zach receives extra accolades for being king of the scrub brush and tackling the nasty bathroom, sans washer. More than likely, the washer had never been moved. It took several doses of toilet bowl cleaner to see the white tiles.

We are extremely happy not to be sitting on the washer while showering.

After our final mop, we decided to seek out our local grocery store. We stumbled upon the street market (which is an amazing find) and the grocery. It is a mile away. It may not be the local one, but we needed groceries so we decided to peruse the shelves. The product guessing game was hysterical, but our greatest find was the peanut butter and Coors combo.

American companies really should consider applying Chinese marketing tactics.

Banker Hutong

Oh, the woes and winding ways of apartment shopping in China. This post could detail the weirdness and absurdity, but rather I want to relish in the fact we are residents of Beijing.

Tomorrow, the deep cleaning shall commence (cleanliness is an elusive state of being in China) and we will begin to have a sense of normality.

The washer/shower/toilet/sink combination won't be normal, though. Ever. However, I can overlook that design flaw since my kitchen is awesome.

We are trying to get a high, small table for the  nook area; a place to eat, work, look over our neighborhood and enjoy the sunshine of our new city. It is also the area where we dry our clothes.

Blue and Gold Looks Good in Beijing

With 200 pounds of material possessions between the two of us (the main crux of poundage being clothing), we were extremely excited to learn that the largest IKEA (outside of the Sweden) was in our neighborhood. 

Rather, a forty five minute bus ride plus a fifteen minute walk. We found a shortcut that saved us five minutes and bestowed upon our friend, Christy, uber-happy emotions for having discovered a new, secret alley. We celebrated our arrival within the blue walls with an ice cream cone. 

The evening activity of strolling through the showcase and marketplace (including a pit stop for dinner) was a fantastic way to spend a Friday evening. We were told before we went to IKEA that many young couples go there for dates and the cheap ice cream cones. We found this rumor to be true, as we walked in many a room to find a couple snuggled on the couch and staring at the fake TVs.

While in the marketplace, I discovered Zach standing off to the side with a deer-in-headlights look. After silverware and before skillets, he had a brief moment of realization panic that our task was daunting. Things we have always owned (such as forks, apple corer, kitchen knives, etc.) are no longer in our possession. Their value in our daily lives grew exponentially. After the initial shock of "we have nothing," we rather enjoyed decorating a new home. It was as though we were getting married again, but this time we chose what color towels we wanted in our bathroom.

We celebrated the beginnings of our new home with another ice cream cone.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, a sprawling behemoth city showcasing the exquisite Chinese architecture. The magnitude and sheer size of gates and palaces is mind numbing; the courtyards are vast. After a couple days of nonstop decision making, twinges of frustration and the unsettling homelessness we decided to take a day to be tourist within our new city. 

The depth perception of Beijing is unsettling; a building on the horizon that looks as though it is on the next block will be at least a mile or two away. What seems to be a ten minute walk will actually be a thirty five minute walk upon looking at a clock. We had experienced this phenomenon many times prior, but our time at Tiananmen Square and within the Forbidden City walls exemplified the occurrence.  

Chinese architecture has always impressed and inspired me. Their devotion to detail is astounding. I found it poignant that each cornerstone within the city was etched while the remaining foundational stones were bare.

The informational signs became a comical read to me. Each began with the sentence, “This palace was constructed during the Ming dynasty, remodeled during the Qing dynasty; burnt a few times but was rebuilt in…” The next paragraph would state the emperor's activity within each building. The order of palaces walking away from the main living palace was: 

• Emperess palace (no explanation needed)
• The official documents, screenings and selections palace
• The get-ready-for-the-ceremony palace
• The take-a-nap-before-the-ceremony palace
• The read-aloud-the-royal-documents palace
• The practice-the-royal-dance palace
• The double-check-the-makeup-and-hair palace
• The ceremony palace

I am not making this up, except for the hair and makeup palace...but only because I cannot remember what activity was done within the six columns and ten bay windows. I chuckled frequently while touring the royal palace pagodas. Plus, (while taking a photo) an inquisitive hand found its way onto my blonde hair and began to pet me. That was after Zach caught another girl taking pictures of us.

Our time in the Forbidden City was quick and not enough to meander the hundreds of corridors within the main wall. We have decided the action plan for our next visit--down the right side. The time after we will peruse the left side and the next next time we will stay in the garden area. The options are endless! It is an amazing historical landmark that must be thoroughly examined.

On the First Day of China

Hand gestures cover a multitude of language inadequacies. The inquiry was minor: Does the hotel have a gym? Three employees later, pen and paper and the miming of lifting weights and running in place, the answer was no. In the crisp, sunny morning I took to the Beijing streets in running tights. It has been months since I have ran on purpose, but it was fun to explore the neighborhood and be thankful that I can pound out a mile or two without dying. The pit stop into a bakery to buy breakfast before jogging back to the hotel was an added bonus.

On our way into the office we spotted the green beacon. Chai tea lattes? No. Do they accept reward/gift cards? No. Did they provide a smidge of home comfort? Yes. 

The main crux of the day was working on details. Many things that were promised are not coming to fruition and it has taken a physical and emotional toll. However, in the frustration there is goodness. A fellow (Chinese speaking) teacher took us under her wing. She showed us her community, bought subway cards, toured a couple apartments with us, showed off her favorite eatery (a cafe that looks as though it was transplanted from the heart of Portland) and helped us buy Chinese cell phones. Plus, we navigated the subway system on our own without dire consequences or ending up at the Forbidden City.

As day one of Chinese living ends, we are holding fervently to the excitement of this journey and bearing the frustrations knowing that God is in the details.