pretty lady

Last night 王红岭took me to a 高场concert at a beautiful concert hall in the center of Beijing. We took the subway to Xidan and made a trip to her sister's apartment then took a taxi to the concert hall.


Before I say anymore, let me just make it known to all that this chanteuse is by no means just a singer. First of all, she was GORGEOUS. so pretty. too bad I wasn't allowed to take pictures during the concert otherwise I would have gone crazy with it. Honestly I think she's one of the most beautiful Chinese women I've ever seen. The pictures I was able to take of her definitely do not do her justice. Afterwards 王红姐and I lamented the (in our eyes) unfair distribution of physical attributes in the world. we plain girls just can't compare. sigh

But that in no way means that she couldn't sing. She had a beautiful soprano voice and a commanding yet graceful stage presence. She was singing old Chinese movie theme songs that I didn't understand but I still loved listening to her sing. She had this floating voice that would flick between the different notes. I can't describe it.

But anyways, that was my first outing of the week. The first time I set foot off campus. I took the subway! 没问题!!

Now Recording: Me!!

Yesterday I had the chance of a lifetime! My voice in a radio broadcast, my thoughts, my stories on the air for anyone and everyone interested to hear. A reporter here did a program broadcast on the effects of Hong Kong's return to China after ten years. Since there four interns from Hong Kong here in the office where I work, the reporter, whom I call 金金, saw the perfect opportunity to get some direct opinions on this issue. I, not wanting to be left out and as a foreigner as well, asked to be included and got to say a few things myself. Unfortunately, I was only seven when HK was returned so I really didn't have much to say in terms personal experience. But I did get to say that I went to HK to buy things when I was younger and it was really chaotic in the customs house. Anyways, the point is that I got to be on the radio! Have to find a way to upload the sound file onto this blog. But for now, pictures!

马丁儿 martin!!

RAINNNNN

Its two in the afternoon over here and we just had a HUGE sudden rainstorm. completely dark outside, windy and pouring rain like cats and dogs. took some pictures to see




and this is the interior of the CRI building
pretty?

Score!

I just successfully retrieved three packages from the mailroom! YAY

got my badge yesterday. what a joyous convenience it is. still need to get my dining card so i can stop mooching off of 王红岭.

put my comforter down under my sheets last night. the plank was just killing my back. Its so hard! I dont know how chinese people can sleep on such hard beds.

last night we ate watermelon in my room and squatted over my washbasin. SO ASIAN! i really should have taken a picture of us. This is probably something only chinese people do..

that's 王中一, the guy who helped me set up my internet connection in the office. he's waiting impatiently for the knife to cut open the watermelon.

first day pictures

Goodbye california, hello China! do i look nervous? BECAUSE I'M NOT. really.

had to add these pictures of the toilet and directions for using the bidet in Narita International. see where it says "toilet flushing sounds"?

We have arrived! you can't see but there are guards standing at teh front gate. the same guards that wouldn't let me in when i tried to get that package from the mailroom...

pretty huh?

I have Arrived

Its not hot. Yet. Surprisingly, there was a little breeze blowing as I left the airport with于飞姑姑. Granted, it was around ten thirty at that time and there had just been a thunderstorm before we landed. But I take it as a good sign that my first hour or so in Beijing hasn’t been infernal. However, I won’t get my hopes up for this cool to continue; 姑姑says tomorrow is going to be hot hot hot.
I have to say it: flying sucks. I’d complain more but every time I start in my mind I think of those poor tall people who are even more cramped than I in the tiny economy seats. I was pretty lucky this time too; Northwest seats give, I think, just a tad bit more leg room than China Air, and food just a tad bit better as well. They gave us a menu at the beginning of the flight outlining the whole meal plan. Better to give us time to mull the choices over (chicken or beef? OJ or water?) than to spring it on us and watch us stutter as we try to choose the lesser of the two evils. Anyways, let me just say that the only good thing about flying is the movie-watching. Honestly, when else would one get the chance to watch movies on end for free and without interruption (except the intercom announcements in three languages that always last at least five minutes)? Catch and Release, Zodiac, Driving Miss Daisy, some of The Bodyguard. I’m all movied-out at the moment but I’m sure that in eight weeks, on my flight home, I will be completely ready for another 11 hour move marathon.
Happily, I don’t have to wake up until nine or ten tomorrow morning but somehow I have a feeling I’ll be up much earlier, and not voluntarily. But maybe I’ll make the best of this jetlag thing and enjoy the crisp morning air before it gets all muggy and hot. There won’t be much of it for me this summer.
Tomorrow 姑姑and 姑丈are going to take me into the radio station and I’ll get all set up there. Have to remember to thank 姑姑for the mosquito netting; have a feeling it will be a lifesaver.
So much for today. May tomorrow bring new sights and new people, and may I remember to write them all down before I forget. Later

first of many mishaps

this is a bit embarrassing: just a reminder of useless I am in this country where I'm almost completely illiterate and definitely nothing but a liability
Its only 11 in the morning and I've already failed three small tasks I've been asked to perform. The first was a proofreading job in which I was supposed to read an article and check for typos. I was so excited to be able to actually do something useful until I found out the article was in chinese. Failure number one. My Chinese literacy is very very low. The fact that my conversational chinese is acceptable is extremely misleading when I can actually only read to the extent of second or third grade level Chinese. Or even less. Sorry to admit, but i'm a fraud.
An hour later, one of the producers 包涛wanted me to go down to the reception room to pick up a few express mail packages. Well this task requires the use of an ID card to get in and out of the front gate, and i dont have an ID card yet, so to make sure I woudln't run into any trouble wiht the guards my shadowee 王红岭went with me and pretty much did the whole thing. Failure number two.
Half an hour ago, a lady asked me to go down to the mailroom and retrieve a package for her. Now this doens't entail leaving any gates, just crossing the main hall, asking for the package, and signing it off. But somehow I managed to leave the building looking for the mailroom and be stopped by the guard trying to get back in. He won't let me back in because I dont have a pass so now I have to call up for someone to come get me. Failure number three.
I really hope I do better tomorrow.

Hot in, so hot in china

weather today: muggy, warm, 30 C

I woke up late today, later than I thought I would have, at around nine. Actually I was awake at six because it was so hot in my room but I stayed in bed and subsequently fell back asleep until late morning. 姑姑has a really comfortable place just on the outskirts of Beijing near the airport. Her dog 球球reminds me of Charlee (should have taken a picture of him) but he's 14 years old and has cancer. He sleeps all the time and only gets up to bark at strangers. I'm sad. what if charlee ends up like that? can't think about it..

I got to the China Radio International building around 11:30 in the morning. Its almost exactly all the way across the city from my aunt's house but luckily the 五环 (fifth ring) expressway wasn't jammed so we got there pretty quickly. It was already warm and I was already considerably sweaty by the time we got into the station campus. 包涛阿姨came down to meet us and took me to the dorms. My room is not luxurious but comfortable. I brought my own bedsheets and my blankie :D and the mosquito netting makes my bed seem like a little den. Its really quite cozy. My roommate is real sweet. She showed me wehre the showers are and everything. Never experienced communal showers and bathrooms before this. Its really not all that bad, you just have to be careful and bring a tub to carry all the stuff.

things i forgot/have to buy:

waterproof slippers for the shower

conditioner

bleach (for the washign machines)

loofah

soap dish

trash can

mirror

six (five?) days and counting

to do:
pack big suitcase
pack laptop backpack
gather papers - yuanyang waivers, forms
don't forget vitamins
camera
14 pairs of underwear
buy bug repellent, anti-itch
anti-diarrheal
find out cell phone number
pack sat prep