Sorry that this post is a little late. I have been a little máng (busy) lately. The homework load is quite different than what I am used
to in America. At UIBE, I only go to each class once a week so the reading
assignments are half of the book or the dreaded “see how far you can get.” I
have been doing my best to keep up with the readings, but this doesn’t come
without putting in the long hours. It sounds like I am begging for sympathy,
but I am not. I really have enjoyed everything I have read so far! Each book
has been extremely insightful (one book on the Communist Party, another on
Buddhism, and the last one is about a man’s adventure in China during the
1980’s). In addition to the readings, I have been meeting with my tutor, Echo,
four hours each week. She is a senior at UIBE and has not only helped me with
my Chinese, but also with my assimilation into the culture. I can’t think of a
time we have met where she hasn’t told me something I didn’t know about
Chaoyang (the district of Beijing I am living in) or Chinese culture. Recently,
she informed me about a beggar I saw on the subway. If you don’t want to read
something sad, skip to the next paragraph now. I am serious, don’t say I didn’t
warn you. While headed to Ya Xiu market (I will talk about this later in the
post), I heard someone singing on the subway. It was a man, but I couldn’t see
him. I stood on my tiptoes to see over the sea of heads, but no luck. As the
singing got closer, I became more confused, “Where is this music coming from?”
Being graced with the attribute of tallness, I was a little disappointed I
couldn’t figure out where this man was at. Then I looked down. This man was
scooting on the floor with his hands singing. He had crutches, but it all
appeared to be fake. To add to his scheme, who I assumed to be his girlfriend
or wife was behind him with their baby and a box for money. She bowed as she
passed the other subway riders. This may seem insensitive, but having been in
Chicago for two years and China for a month, I know a faker when I see it. I
leaned over to my friend and said, “I think he went all out for that one; can’t
walk, singing love songs, girlfriend with the baby following him. I don’t think
he could have added anything else unless he was blind!” (There are an unusually
high number of “blind” musicians in Beijing. If you come to visit, then you
will understand what I mean.) Well I told all of this to my tutor who told me
that they were most likely fake. [Last chance to turn back] To jump ahead to
the sad part, the baby was also most likely not their baby. There is a problem
in China with baby stealing. Unsuspecting parents will have their babies
snatched by these beggars and then used to help them get money. As if that wasn’t
bad enough, they also feed the baby sleeping medicine to ensure it doesn’t cry
and scare away potential donors. I have no clue what they do with the babies
after the day ends, but rest (somewhat) assured that there is an organization
to help catch the criminals and reunite the parents with their babies. My tutor
told me that if I see this happen again, I can take a picture of the criminals
and the baby’s face and send it into this organization, who will then post the
photos online with their location. The parents will look on the website and if
they find their baby, they will call the local police and try to catch the
criminals in the act. I can only hope that this actually has some successes.
Sorry for the sad story, back to happy blogging now.
Even though I sound
really busy with my studies, I am enjoying the China life. Last weekend, I went
to play what I thought was going to a pick-up game of basketball, but ended up
being a full-fledge practice! I am really grateful that my friends who studied
abroad at Loyola last semester (Chinese UIBE students) invited me to join their
team. I met all of my teammates and gave a short speech to introduce myself. We
are in the top division so we will have some talented players to compete with
in the tournament. Luckily, the new stadium that is being built will be
finished in time for the championship game! I will keep you all posted on our
progress through practices and games.
Last Monday
(September 8th) was the Mid-Autumn Festival aka Moon Cake Day in
China so we had the day off. We spent the day going to Tia*a*me* (*=n) Square.
It was a powerful sight. I walked around thinking about what history had taken
place on those grounds. Located in the back of the square was Mao Zedong’s
mausoleum. I wasn’t able to go in because it was closed that day, but I will go
back to see it. Conveniently, the square is close to Wangfujing Avenue (one of
the most popular streets in Beijing). The group wandered over and had lunch at
the most famous Peking roast duck restaurants in Beijing, Quanjude. There were
multiple waiting rooms full of people waiting to eat here. Luckily, a Chinese
roommate had gotten reservations and we got a few tables relatively quickly.
For some reason, we got the biggest feast option. It included the roasted duck
(head, heart, liver, and all!), sea cucumbers, duck tongue soup, and other
typical Chinese dishes that didn’t involve duck. The food was great, but the
bill was not. It came out to ¥243 ($40.50) per person! I think China has
made me cheap(er), but that is equivalent to at least 10, if not 11, filled to
the brim, I-can’t-eat-anymore-or-I’ll-throw-up-unless-it’s-dessert meals.
Nonetheless, I had a good, famous meal. I will chalk it up to one of those “I
am glad I experienced it, but I won’t do it again unless someone else is
paying” experiences.
This past Saturday
(September 13), I marked off my first thing on my imaginary “China to-do list.”
I use the word imaginary only because if I were to have made the list, I still
would be writing things I want to do. Anyways, I went to a Ya Xiu market again
(where all of the fake items were) and bought an “Omega” watch. I paid about
$30 dollars for it. I talked to the lady in Chinese so “she gave me a good
price.” I was happy with my purchase until earlier today when I dropped it..
Now I understand the difference between real Omega’s an fake Omega’s. It was a
good $30 dollar lesson.
But that was only a
minor goal on my list (to get ripped off in China – CHECK), the real goal was
to get a tailored suit! I know what you may be thinking, I am not going to
repeat my last goal again. A professor at my school got a suit from the tailor
I went to and he still has it. The experience was really cool, I went into the
store with my friends. We picked out the material, told the tailor what type of
suit we wanted (picked out all of the specifics, with the advice of my dad),
and then got measured. In total, a suit from scratch cost me ¥1200 ($200). I think that is a steal as long as it holds up! It is
quite common for businessmen to get a suit tailored while in China. As a matter
of fact, I saw one picking up his suit as I was getting measured! I will keep
everyone posted and I can recommend the business to anyone if you’d be visiting
China anytime soon. Fashion show to follow.
So what is next amongst juggling school and
navigating the local culture? National Week.
From October 1-7, I will have a break from school. However, everyone
else will also be off of school and work (most likely). This means a mass migration
back to their respective hometowns. I am hoping to brave the crowds and make a
trip to Qingdao, located in southeast part of Shandong Province. It has a beach
and mountains. A great place to getaway for a bit. I am still in the planning
stages of the trip, but I am hoping to try my first-ever couchsurfing
experience (don’t worry mom, I am going with friends). I have gotten in contact
with the host, but we haven’t figured it all out yet. I will keep everyone
posted on this trip too!
Before I end the post, I have two things
that aren’t directly related to this specific post. First, the second edition
to Silk Road blog post is currently being worked on. The first one took a lot
of time to get the timeline and facts straight. With balancing school and
blogging, the scale tips in favor of school. I promise it will come, but I want
it to be just as informative as the last. Secondly, there has been a lack of
pictures in my blogs. Blogger has a weird set-up regarding pictures in posts.
If I have a lot of pictures, it just looks cluttered. I think I am going to use
imgur (the way I posted photos for the Silk Road Blog Part 1 post) to share
these images. I will provide a link to the albums in each blog post and on my
main webpage. I hope this doesn’t lose me any followers!
Peace,
张睿杰
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