Pictures! of the Forbidden City

Sadly, out of the more than 100 pictures I snapped at the Forbidden City, these are the only decent ones. My photography skills are poor.

What is this bronze object?

A long walk (one of many)

One of the many massive courts at the Forbidden City

I wish I remembered my Manchu!

Some sort of artificial mountains in the imperial gardens

Pictures! of the Great Wall

A view of the wall from the wall.

It's I!

Yale hat at the Great Wall.

Pretty Chinese donkey.

My internet has been a pain lately (I had no internet Saturday or Sunday night), so these are up a bit later than expected.

News! and reflections on the past week or so

I'm going to Shanghai in two weeks! Nei Menggu (ie Inner Mongolia) was filled up and I didn't make it in the lottery, but instead I'm headed to Shanghai to write a little report on Shanghai hua (Shanghai dialect). I'm pretty pleased with that, I must say. In any case, it will give my a chance to repeat Chairman Mao's famous Shanghai joke: "I know this is Shang4hai3, but where's Xia4hai3?" ('shang4' and 'xia4' are opposites in Chinese--"up/down, top/bottom, on/off").

Anyhow, academics have been going well this week, as has food. I've decided the Muslim Restaurant is the ultimate in cheap dining: I can get two nang (Xinjiang sesame flatbread-ish stuff, sort of like a pizza crust, with a crackery middle and soft surrounding ring of dough, with red onions on top), which is pretty hearty eating (in fact, it's more than I can eating in a sitting) for a paltry 6 RMB--about a dollar. I had an upset stomach this morning, but some anti-diarrheal put a swift end to that. It must have not been anything too serious, unlike my weekend illness (more on that ahead).

On another note, I am really surprised at the human brain's capacities. At Yale, we learned about 30 characters a week. Here, we're learning more like 50 or 60 a day, and yet, not only do we manage to memorize it all for the next morning's dictation, but also to retain it for Friday's tests. I only need to review around 50 or 60 characters for tomorrow--probably less than a quarter of this week's new vocab. The rest I all knew right off the bat this afternoon.

CONCERNING THE GREAT WALL

It was okay. Truth be told, I wasn't blown away. The extensive renovation, which makes the ancient wall look like it was built a few years ago (which, in some sense, it was), certainly didn't get me excited, and neither did the long and grueling climb uphill to get to the wall. Even once I was on the wall, it was up-and-down, up-and-down, steep as could be. Since I was sick, and hadn't eaten for about twenty-four hours (my aforementioned more severe stomach problems, which, nonetheless, three days' worth of Cipro handily dispatched), this was all the worse.

The highlights of the trip:

1. Tobogganing downhill (better than walking)
2. The beautiful scenery (though just a few miles out of Beijing proper, and still part of the Beijing administrative area, this region's greenery and mountains were stunning. The mountains were of the stereotypical Chinese sort, those which you see in the brush paintings, covered in little evergreens and other gnarled mountain trees, short but very steep, with rocky protrusions)
3. The hawkers: "Many hat! I have many hat!" "Ice cold water! Ice cold beer! Ice cold water! Ice cold beer!" etc.
4. Discussing ancient Chinese military planning with my teachers (I wondered why they built the Great Wall on a string of mountains, which seemed already a natural wall)
5. The donkeys (very pretty, not at all like European donkeys--short black undercoat with long light brown hair), and asking the teachers "In Chinese, what do you call the child of a donkey and a horse?"
6. Taking a break from class!

The lowlights:

1. Being sick
2. The climb up
3. The Great Wall itself

REFLECTIONS ON HBA SO FAR

First off, I love the teachers here. These are some really enthusiastic and talented educators. I've even come to really like the (very, very few) teachers who initially left a bad taste in my mouth.

Second off, my initial enthusiasm aside, the textbook stinks. I love it's pace and the sequence in which it introduces characters (related characters often appear on a serial basis over the course of two or three chapters), but it's "grammar" sections are useless. Not only are they brief to the point of being incomprehensible, but they don't cover all the grammar in the chapter. We'll often go over 20 sentence in patterns in class when the book only covers five or six. Moreover, the exercises sometimes only tangentially relate to the new sentence structures, and, oftentimes, the exercises will ask questions over structures introduced several chapters later.

More later...

I'll be posting photos either tomorrow or Friday! I must get back to the books!

By the way...

tomorrow we go to the Great Wall!

Many apologies etc

Many apologies for not writing for a few days; I knew my furious blogging pace would sooner or later decrease a bit or more. It decreased sooner and more.

In any case, the last few days of been pretty okay. I took my first test today, and it was surprisingly easy. My oral presentation also went decently. I know at least that, during the rehearsal, the teacher watching me practice said my tones were excellent and my pronunciation perfect and very Chinese-like.

Yesterday I ate at the Muslim Restaurant (which is it's name in Chinese) for the first time. The propietors and waiters are all, indeed, actually Uighurs. I ate some delicious roast mutton there, but today I've been having a few stomach issues and am inclined to blame the sheep (or, more accurately, those cooking the sheep).

Today I met my Chinese family, a mama and a didi (little brother), which I share which a classmate from Berkeley. My Zhongguo mama is a professor of international business. They and the Berkleyite spoke at length about basketball, about which I know next to nothing in English, much less Chinese. Oh well. The list of languages I study always impresses and is a fine conversation topic; Chinese people always are surprised that I've studied Tibetan (so are my classmates, generally), and my mama and didi were no different.

Now I'm going to watch soccer, a sport for which I am slowly gaining an appreciation, for the athleticism it requires if nothing else.

Another thunderstorm!

Is it just me or do thunderstorms tend to happen at night? If they indeed do, has this something to do with temperature or temperature change (day to night)?

Jintian de xinwen (today's news)

Food: Lunch was free, since it was Zhongwen zhuozi (Chinese language table, ie eating with our teachers in little groups), and very mediocre. I tried fish-flavored pork for dinner at my usual fan4guanr3, since I just learned the characters, and it was okay. It was like American Chinese food in the sense that it was smothered in a thick, sticky sauce, except this sauce had (surprise!) a fishy flavor. My favorite bit of the dinner was the green onions.

Academics: Another 95% for dictation--I knew all the characters today, but I accidentally skipped "zai4" (at). Oops! Homework wasn't as good, but the grading seems rather arbitrary. Oh well.

some exciting observations (Or, The Titular Post)

China: there's what I've heard, and then there's what I've experienced. More often than not, the two are remarkably similar, and the observations which follow are a testament to the accuracy of previous travelogues.

1. THE PEOPLE...

are just as friendly as they are reputed to be.

2. THE EXCEPTION...

is "business" situations, by which I mean situations in which I am the customer. Service, from restaurants to photo shops, is bu tai hao (not so good). The customer does not come first unless he knows somebody. This is an illustration of the Chinese concept of guanxi ("connections"), which are necessary, not only for good service, but also, e.g., for getting a job. I recall my plane-friend, Xiao3xue3 (Serena was her English name) telling me that it was hard for her to get a job in Beijing because of her own lack of connections. Whereas money or experience might "talk" in America, in the Middle Country it's all about whom you know.

2.5. THE EXCEPTION TO THE EXCEPTION...

is the man at the convenience desk on the first floor. He is always friendly to me.

3. THE ECCENTRICITY...

is real. The "cool" of China is way too cool for me. Just saw a man on TV with a huge blue flower in his vest and sporting large black earrings. Whoa. A lot of folks have shirts with English writing (reminds me of the Chinese and Japanese characters which many Americans sport). Saw one guy with a pink shirt that said: "VIRGINS WANTED. No experience necessary." I wonder whether he knew what it said. Either way, it was creepy.

English translations are everywhere--on signs, etc.--and are often semi-nonsensical. In the parking lot of our classroom building is a sign prohibiting "boardskating", and at the airport, the people-movers were termed "escalators" on the signs.

4. THE SMOG...

is also real, but not as bad as some have said. I can see patches of blue sky even as I write.

First day of class and thunderstorm aftermath

The first day of class went well! My tones (of all things--I would have never imagined seven months ago!) impressed some of the lao3shi1men2 (professors/teachers). My first dictation assignment was a success--95%. The only characters I missed were those in Hafo (Harvard), and who cares about that place? The academics seem tough enough but within reason. Speaking of Harvard vs. Yale, my danbanke (individual session) laoshi for the day indicated that we Yalies (and I particularly) have very good "Chinese-sounding" accents and tones. Apparently the Hafo xuesheng leave something to be desired in this area.

Had the mushroom and chicken dish with lots of red pepper again for dinner. I'll have the duck, I think, tomorrow. Food and drink for today came to 42 kuai. I can't eat in the super-cheap cafeteria-type cafeteria on the first floor of Di Er Canting yet, but I'm not sure I want to do so once I can. The program coordinator warned us against it twice--apparently it's not kind on the stomach. I think I'll stay relatively cheap by sticking to Zhongguo fan (as opposed the very expensive foreign food and Western brand snack food) and end up fine in any case. If I spend an average 45/day for food (which is higher, I think, than my average so far), that's only 315 kuai/week, or 1260 kuai/month, or 2835 yuan for the program. And that, after all, is only 473 dollars. Since I have around $1400 in Light money left, I believe, that seems a reasonable investment in food, leaving me more than enough travel money (for Nei4 Meng3gu3, ie Inner Mongolia, week 5) and incidental money (buying another month of internet, eg). Enough about the budget, though.

Lunch, by the way, was pocky.

Thunderstorm aftermath: it smelled wonderful outside this morning, and the air seems still a bit clearer for the rain. Or maybe I'm just getting used to the pollution.

Now back to studying.

It's pouring outside.

It's pouring outside.

Airport photos

Better late than never.

Burger King King

He greeted me at the airport.

Thunderstorm over Beijing: two photos

Thunderstorm comes

First, off my food report: I didn't do too well today... "breakfast" was 11.5 kuai, lunch (at an extremely mediocre Japanese place which the coordinator recommended--I had wudong (which is to say udon) noodles with awful beef) was 25 kuai, and dinner (another delicious bowel of niuroumian at the Chinese place on the second floor of Cafeteria No. 2) was 14. 50.5 kuai is cutting pretty close to the approx. 60 kuai budget. First and last time at the Japanese place. The Chinese place 10 feet away is 10 times better.

Second: a thunderstorm comes! It drives away the smog and smoggy smell, and it smells like rain now. The wind's blowing like crazy--it blasted some particles into my eyes and throat on the way back from dinner. A few flashes of thunder have lit the campus, and a few droplets of rain have fallen. I've got my window open to smell the air and hear the storm coming.

Third: Opening convocation went well. I was one of the only fellows dressed up anywhat, and I didn't even bother with a tie... I sensed beforehand that it would be, for most, a shorts and t-shirt affair. Signed the language pledge. Had a few quasi-conversations with a couple of Yalies from my 2nd semester section in Chinese afterward.

Fourth: Great textbook! The vocab looks intense (around 50-60 items a day, including a large helping of new characters), but it doesn't seem as bad now that I'm digging in. I also have to memorize a passage for tomorrow.

I can hear more thunder... I love thunderstorms.

Academic stuff, cont.

I made it through my oral exam more than okay. Very stress free. Went downstairs & bought "breakfast" (yi ge da xuebi (large Sprite--1.25L) and yi ge baiqi (pocky--just because I can read the characters)). I've only drunk a little Sprite--it should last a while at this rate.

Academic stuff...

It starts today. Just finished the written portion of the placement exam. 2nd years need only answer the first three questions on the exam, and those were the only three I could read, so it was just as well. The written bit was easy. I now await the oral and am exceedingly nervous about it. I don't know why, since I can't go any lower than 2nd year.

Skype

I actually didn't just discover it. But I am Skyping from China for the first time.

Mornings

When I first wake up and all's dark, I really want to be home again. But this morning I discovered Skype.

Dinner for one

I went to dinner alone, if only to prove to myself that I could navigate a restaurant, in Chinese, all by myself. I was successful, largely, even if it took me a bit to realize that the waitress was asking whether I wanted rice (I actually didn't realize what she'd asked until she'd gone, but I had, fortunately, indicated 'no' anyhow). I was more temerarious in ordering than I was at lunch, and simply said "zhei ge" and pointed at some chicken dish. It was very la4 (spicy), but also delicious. The other major elements, besides fried chicken and red peppers, were two sorts of mushroom, little golden ones and larger white ones. It, plus Sprite, came to 29 yuan, or about $4.50. The Light allocates approx. 60 kuai (ie $10) per diem for food, so I, at 46 (lunch, dinner, and an afternoon Sprite) did okay.

Now for studying, Chinese TV, and sleeping.

Oh, and N.B. kuai = yuan = RMB. It's all the same thing.

Chopsticks...

...are easy to use when you're hungry. I've only eaten with chopsticks three or four times before, but, having not eaten for around 18 hours, I was using them like a pro at lunch.

Table 1: Chinese Notes, size and comparisons with American dollar bill

Chinese Martial Arts Movies...

...are nuts.

First Impressions

What is Beijing like? It's not so foreign as I expected, and yet it's much more foreign. The fact that signs are all written in Chinese, and that the language of the street is Mandarin, is not very strange. The airport could have been any airport, just much bigger and much slicker. The highways and overpasses are highways and overpasses. And the people are just people.

On the other hand, on the way from the airport to BLCU, I saw three cars driving in the emergency vehicle lane, and going out for the campus tour this morning, we were greeted by a car driving down the sidewalk. The Korean community here is very fond of silly-looking motor scooters on which they speed about. And the TV is much different than in America. It's much more wholesome, for one thing--I haven't seen a terribly lowbrow program yet (even Chinese MTV seems corny rather than disgusting). It has many more soap operas, all of which are soaked in melodrama (the music, the acting, etc., are all way over the top). This morning I saw a fascinating game show which revolved around guessing, with a blindfold on, the value of various yuan notes waved near one's ear (different value notes are different sizes--1 yuan notes are tiny, 100 yuan notes are larger than American bills). There was also a part about counting money as fast as possible. A novel TV show concept, I suppose.

Also, the sky is always smoggy, everywhere smells funny (it doesn't "stink"--it's just a weird smell), and all the locals ride (invariably dirty) bicycles.

All for all, though, I like it. I'm over a few humps--I have the internet, for one thing, which makes me feel a lot safer (in that I'm back in touch with the world), and I've showered once, bought one meal, etc.--and am settling in pretty well.

Food and Water

We have been warned, time and time again, about drinking the tap water in China. So, it is little wonder that, when I woke up bright and early at 6:00 this morning, I was extremely trepidatious about showering. I was worried to death about keeping my mouth shut the whole time. Having chatted with a few other first-time-in-China students over lunch, I think we are all paranoid.

I ordered my first lunch in China today, in Chinese, in the Chinese restaurant in Cafeteria no. 2 (everything in China is (building type) no.(#)). I had niu2rou4mian4 (beef noodles), since I could actually read those characters and was quite sure what I was ordering. I was expecting something mediocre, but it was actually pretty delicious. I had a bottle of xue3bi4 (Sprite) with the meal. It was 14 kuai, or about 2 dollars.

Then it was off to the internet store... long wait, and expensive in Chinese terms (250 yuan--nearly 50 dollars
--for ethernet cable, one-time fee, and fee for this month). The internet is very slow here, but since we have the Yale VPN and therefore Yale bandwidth, it's just like being at home for us Yalies (Harvard has a VPN, too, of course). I can Google and Facebook without fear.

Woo hoo! 2

The "exciting observations" in the title will all concern China, by the way.

Woo hoo!

Yes! I have a blog! Woo hoo!