Carve Your Heart Out Yourself

Let's start...with my roommate...in our room...after shaving.


6 of the most important tips you need for China, below.

It's weird. Weird weird weird weird. I'm back in the states right now, the good 'ol states, like my comrades like to call it, except that being back here has a disconcerting effect on me. I'm thirsty right now, because my house doesn't have any bottled water or filters. "Drink from the tap," my mother says. "You've done it for 18 years before, I don't see why you can't now." So just 20 minutes ago, I did it. I put my mouth to the faucet and swallowed the deluge of clean, refreshing, tasteless (and colorless) water that spouted from the metal tube. I'm still half expecting to get sick. Going to the bathroom has been an issue as well--I can't get over the habit of actually throwing the toilet paper into the toilet itself. Hasn't clogged up yet.

I went back to my high school today, wanted to go swimming. As luck would have it, it had been open all week but now was locked shut, the metal gates leering at me. I sat down instead in the quad and looked up. The most beautiful sight was above--a blue sky, an azure sky, a sky that was deep and cooling, capacious and visceral. The leaves in view of my peripheral vision lighted up; the sky framing the vivid leaf green was an even deeper shade of blue. It was probably the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. Last, and probably least, blogger worked perfectly fine. I typed in the URL, and miraculously the site opened up, just how it was supposed to.



I miss China. I miss the people there, I miss the food, I miss sweating (My mom: "that's why your acne is all gone! You sweated out your pores in China!"), I miss the public transportation system. I guess part of it is knowing that I'll never have the same type of summer again, that I'll never be able to be in the thick of Chinese preparation for the Olympics while stumbling upon some of the coolest people that I've ever had the honor to call my friends. It's hard to look back and evaluate the program when I was in it just 48 hours ago, but I'll try my best, and leave some tips for the incoming Fellowship winners to take away:


1. Use the teachers to the fullest advantage. Towards the end of the program, all the teachers started to realize, and if not realize, I mean started to act upon their friendships with the students. I never thought it was possible, but the teachers wanted to hang out with us, whether it was a day at TianTan, getting dinner at a nice restaurant, or going clubbing. Make friends with the teachers as soon as you get into the program, and don't hesitate inviting them to dinner or excursions. They want to get to know you better and besides, with them all being between 23 and 28, they're pretty cool too. Moreover, 95% of the teachers were women, and they weren't bad looking either (heh, heh.....just kidding!).


2. The number one best thing that Duke has compared to HBA and PIB is this: Free time to actually go out into Beijing. My roommate at Yale next year confirmed that the students at HBA study nonstop all week, and only have opportunities to go out on the weekends. Duke? Not so much. Buy a guide book, and take at least 4 of the 7 days every week to go somewhere different. Though classes take up alot of time, Yale is pass/fail, which means that you can definitely spare an afternoon here or there to go to the Olympic Green, eat pizza in a local hutong, or check out the ice skating facilities. Eat out, away from the school, as much as you can, because it adds a sense of accomplishment to a normal meal; there are so many amazing restaurants for dirt cheap prices that you can afford to spend extra time and money. For more on this point, I want to give a shout out to Roland Reimers and Arjun Singh for going out literally every single day of this program to a different location in Beijing; check out their blogs if you really want to find out what Beijing has to offer.


3. Shop. As much as you can. I'm not a very big spender--before college started, I went on my biggest spending spree, going to Mervyns and buying 100 dollars worth of clothes (it accounted for about 6 items). In China? I had to buy an entirely new suitcase to pack everything that I bargained for. The final tally consists of 11 new t-shirts, 7 hoodies, 1 nice sweater, 7 polos, 5 pairs of shorts, 4 pairs of jeans, 5 hats, 2 pairs of sunglasses, a watch, and 4 pairs of shoes. In total, I spent around 2000 kuai, which, if you add it up, is only 300. Actually, that's alot of money. Regardless, the clothes here are about 2.5 - 5 times cheaper than in America. My favorite places of all time, in order of most frequented:

1. The underground clothing shop next to the Beijing Zoo. Sells all manner of American clothing, from Converse (30 kuai) to Ecko hoodies (70 kuai) to Timberland jeans (100 kuai). Perfect for the ghetto fabulous style that I like pulling off, because while American stores sell them in all XXL's, the sizes here actually fit normal people. There isn't any bargaining here, which is a relief, as they sell everything at the lowest possible price to start. You can get away with cutting 5 kuai off sometimes, 10 if you're lucky.

2. Hongqiao Market. It's a ways away, not like the quick 10 minute ride to the Zoo, but worth it if you want name brand shoes (think Jordans), dress shirts, pearls, and sweaters. The bargaining is fierce, so don't back down from anything. Lots of foreigners. Get off at TianTanDongMen subway stop.

3. Silk Street. The piece da resistance of all foreign shoppers. The 7 floor building has everything imaginable, workers who can speak enough english, and more than just clothes. A little too touristy for me, but you could go there and get everything you need.

4. YaShow. Located in San Li Tun, this market is a mix of the former 2; a decent sized store selling mainly women's clothes and one store specializing in shady dvd sales, it's a place to check out once or twice if you want to mix it up.


4. Find a rhythm to do your work. Everybody does it differently. My roommate did his homework with his language tutor and studied at night before he slept. There are people who go to office hours to get it done. Some try to accomplish it right after classes are over, when the text is still fresh in their heads. I tried to wake up early and study before class, with mixed results (basically depending on if I could actually get up). Breakfast, which I need to function, is a bit of a problem, especially when the dining hall closes mid-July. Yogurt and crackers seem like the best bet, but our fridge didn't work the entire time. Internet cafes and cafes in general are a good place to get away from the dormitories. Taking a walk when you feel like it does the body good too. The gym about 10 minutes away is very modern, and has everything you could ask for. I started going this summer, they test your body fat and water weight content for free, and help you with the machines if you need it. Classes (yoga, kickboxing, cycling) are included too.


5. Find some method to remember and utilize everything you learn. At the end of it all, I've learned about 1500 new words, and 800 new grammar structures. Of it all, I would say about 400 words and 50 structures have actually had sticking power in terms of being able to insert them into everyday conversation. Some come more naturally than others, some are forgotten as soon as the day is over, but when in China, make an effort to use classroom material in everyday conversation.

6. Take lots of pictures. You'll want to remember summer.

-Peter Lu

Bend and Not Break

So I know I didn't blog the last two weeks, but no matter! everything is alright. The world is fine and back on it's feet. So what I'm going to do is promise to write a super long entry at the end of this program, instead of trying to reflect back on it now when the world is a swirling, tumultuous heap of hedonism and contentment that I can't quite wrap my head around right now.


I want to just say--the week before this one passed by so fast. I went to the Botanical gardens again, walked around trying to find the magical temple that I hung out in last time, and instead got absolutely lost in the huge arboretum. This week, bought more stuff at the markets around (shoes, shirts, sweaters, and coooool hoodies), spent about 100 more dollars American (mom, I'm stopping, I promise) and now don't know how I'm possibly going to bring everything back with me to America, much less Yale.


I went to Tian Tan with a teacher today--the trip was good, we talked about her former life as a DJ and her relationship with her boyfriend, other than that nothing special, but it was cool seeing them in a setting outside of the classroom. One thing I like about this program, is how the teachers really are so willing to extend the classroom restrictions and be friends with the students too. Went to a Jewish dinner as well, all paid for, met up with some HBA and ACC people, and ended up having a great time singing songs I didn't understand and eating a exquisite 5 course meal. Next week is the last week--instead of reflecting or being down, I'm going to try and make the most out of every moment I have, see if I can really leave *everything* I have in Beijing, and look back with cloying sentimentality for the rest of my life, because there will never be anything like spending an entire summer just studying Chinese and hanging with friends in a whole new world.

-peter

Carry This Picture

Just came back from the Yale BBQ. Wow. What that means--I spent 120 kuai for the chance to eat 3 kabobs. On the roof of a building. While it was raining. I think the kabobs were undercooked. But really, my starving stomach otherwise, it was a throwback experience. I hadn't seen my roommate from Yale for the last 5 weeks, and the first times we set our eyes on each other, as he had a mouth full of fries and while I was just walking up the stairs, was like someone had sprinkled fairy dust upon the world so that everyone else would choke and leave us to enjoy it together.

I met some Yale 2012 pre-frosh too. I love talking to new, unadultered, angelic Yalies who haven't undertaken the battle yet. So fresh and full of spirit, makes me happy inside. Also, went to the Duke dinner with the Dean yesterday too. It was the best food I've ever tasted. There was this one dish I will remember forever (besides the HOT WINGS!) : UNRIPE MANGO, cut up into slices and then soaked in sprite. Words cannot describe the melding of flavor; eating it made me serene and contemplative about the appreciative joys in live (C.S. Lewis). I realized how cool it is to be the Dean of student affairs. His job is travelling to Korea, Japan, and China to eat food, talk to students, and experience different countries' historic sites. Wait, did I say job?

The last week of classes went by, like usual, in a whirlwind of mediocrity and slight itinerancy. We didn't have any on Monday, seeing as we just returned from Xi'An. On Tuesday, things picked up full swing, but we used two slightly less difficult lessons from outside the book for the 1st two days before returning to Princeton's tried and true methods for the last day. The test was alright, but what I really want to talk about are the amazin' basketball courts that are FINALLY finished. Played 4 times on them in the last week (had to hop the fence because I don't think they open up for anyone anymore) and they were amazing. I'm legit.

Starting to get into the groove of things, because the court is so smooth and crisp and delightful that I feel like I can move whichever direction my body wants to, dammit. I realized too that it's hard to do anything after you work out--especially lift your arms up to shoot the ball. We did Yale vs. Duke one day. Honestly, thought we were going to get destroyed, but somehow pulled out the first one and then lost the second game though we were up late and close in the night.

At this point in time, you might be wondering: "Peter, you haven't been to 90% of Beijing. How can you possibly be wasting your time playing basketball when you could easily do that at Yale?"

Well, the answer is the same one it's always been--it's all in the mindset. All. I realized that I really, really enjoy hanging out with the Duke kids in the program, and that after this summer there will never be the same circumstances that will lead us to these epic (and I mean epic) games of basketball. So what is my mindset? I'll probably be coming back to China to visit, see relatives, and work. I won't be hanging out in China with these same people, and that's what makes the experience so worthwhile. That's what this trip has been--worthwhile. Even though I've gone to most of the big sites, such as Beihai (the lotus leaves were really cool, and there were fruit trees galore there), the people are what make this entire thing click. And what I realized, at the Yale Club BBQ, with the throngs of people here and there, fake conversation and forced dialogue, that you only really need a few. Just a few to talk with, play basketball with, look up at the blue skies with; just a couple to share commonalities in place personality preferences.


Random notes: None, save that it's kind of late (1245am) and tomorrow is early for church. Also, I have a list of everything I want to buy. I've spent way too much on this trip already. Can't keep doing it--but it feels so goooood (that's the first time I've elongated vowels on a post. I vow never to do it again). Also, cut myself on the cabinet door. Talked to my roommate about family, life, and going to Shabbat dinner (totally going, can't wait to pretend to be Jewish). Broke someone's bracelet. And, overall, just had a fulfilling week. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND IS SO GOOOOOOD. oh. my. gosh. James stopped it. Before it was over. I still have 10 minutes left. 10 MINUTES. You DON'T stop someone while someone is watching this movie. It should be a crime. a punishment. an action to which you cannot ever, ever do. Such a good movie. Felt like I'm in a lucid dream. KTV has a lot of 90 pop songs. and Avril Lavigne. Which makes up for it all. I love China. And not having homework.

-PETTITE

Rapid Hope Loss

I. am. so. tired.

Tired? Exhausted? Feigning energy? Utterly apathetic to moving my muscles?

Just kidding--I'm not so tired right now. As I was typing the above sentences, I got so violently weak that I walked over, in the pouring rain, and definitively bought some dumplings, with a side of Chinese flat bread. And now I'm ready.

Xi'An was a disappointment. Why? It was too touristy. We walked around a couple of temples, saw the clay soldiers, and then went straight back to the hotel because the entire bus was engulfed in a pall of sloth (-like...actions?). I liked it, though. <--- what a generic sentence. and it doesn't even fit in with the rest of the theme of the paragraph! This is how you know I'm tired and about to get sick. The train rides took alot out of me. 35 students taking over a compartment, beer and laughter hanging over the halls, and me trying to sleep (I know this makes me sound like a loser, but don't judge. yet.). What I liked about the trip? There was water provided everywhere. As soon as we got off the bus to the next attraction, there was a case of water just waiting for us, like a...*insert simile here* The soldiers were boring. See one, see them all. What a testament to the Chinese work ethic, but also a testament to the feudal society and pointless harship of millions of lives. The rest of the week was beautiful. We had the final for the first semester at the end of the week, and despite all my valiant attempts against my brain to study for the entire day Thursday, I ended up sleeping, studying for 2 hours, and then reading The Fountainhead until I realized there were 8 hours until the test. What a great book though (one of the main characters is called Peter). Don't worry, Kelly, I woke up at 6am and studied as much as I possibly could 'till the test. I honestly don't remember the rest of the week, except that I got my hair straightened. It cost 174 kuai, and it didn't even matter, because they cut it short anyways, and everyone knows that when my hair is short it's naturally short. Duh. What a waste of money. They didn't even put that cool heating machine on my head to let the wax melt into my hair. I'm going to a different place next time.

Random thoughts? I have none. Except that at this point, I've been feeling a bit of hopelessness from the entire trip. The halfway points of great adventures usually do that to you. It's when you realize that despite being able to play back every moment of the first day in your head again, somehow hundreds of hours have passed by already, that more of the program is over than is coming up, and that all the friendships created, established, broken, glued together, and smudged are all going to disappear into nothing in a few weeks.

By 'nothing' I don't mean not still existent--I mean 'nothing' in the sense that it will never be the same; that while you might meet up with them once in a blue moon and things will be like they were before, there will be no more lazy afternoons on someone's bed wasting time, trying to study, no more dinners grasping for conversation in a hole-in-the-wall food place, no more awkward Chinese conversations in the hall between classes, and most of all, no more sense of purpose, understanding, and shared experience. That was kind of depressing. I'm not actually that sad right now, I think. Also, the hopelessness extends to the Chinese study area too--I've learned so many characters and so many grammar structures that I feel as if my brain's been overloaded to the point where everything is in one ear and out the other ear. I've forgotten and retained to the point of equilibrium; supersaturation, when one more word memorized will catalyze this chain reaction of cleansing, removing everything I've learned and subsequently making space for the more inane, such as lines from The Office or how to make bird sounds with my hands. I don't want to memorize more words. No no no!!! But I'm going to study soon.

McDonald's CEO in China is coming in one hour! It should be a good show, and perfect for those looking forward to the future, where the smog of Beijing stands not for the futility of our collective lives, but rather affected potentialities that might or might not happen (people are hoping for the best, though).
I'm tired. Also, I realized that I really like accessorizing. I got 3 Olympic t-shirts in Xi'An for 50 kuai, and some other odds and ends. OH. If you ever are asked to get a drawing of yourself, do not do it. I spent 30 kuai getting a portrtait done, that looks nothing at all like me. It has already been relegated to the closet of my mind, sitting to collect dust until I take it to my brother and tell him to keep it, as a fake memory of what he looked like when he was 8 years old. What
is worth it though, is one of the beautiful drawings done in the Chinese style, of art, I can't really explain it. On those scrolls. With the colors. Of nature. I'm putting it in my dorm? Back in school? I can't tell. fin

-Petr(ol)

Hands Down

This always happens when I start this blog: a million beautiful, hilarious, awkward, tantalizing things have happened these last 168 hours, but for some reason my mind draws a blank--either for the lack of sleep (it's 11pm. In China! -now it's 12:11am and I'm proofreading, that's how much I like this entry- ) or the fact that I have no idea where to start.
Let's try this week, though, shall we? I know my 2 eager readers--my mom and my dog--are dying to hear the latest installment.

Tests have been spontaneously combusting right in front of my eyes. Or I wish they were, so that I could have an excuse not to take them and consequently see the scores I've been receiving. I belabor the point, but the heritage class. is. hard. I would bet Area 51 exits that they grade harder on the talking portion, and the grammar, while on the surface seemingly a pool of tranquility, lays (lies?) the hugest loch ness monster you will ever get to meet and have tea with. Point is, I have to, for lack of a better word, pwn* chinese, zerg hydralisk versus terran marine style.

The social life: it's weird. I'm going to put it out straight right here, no lies. There are cliques in China. China! Duke! Exclaimations! Although that's to be expected. On the surface, there are 3 notable, significant, and consequentially inconsequential groups: the koreans who talk korean to each other and hang out with each other; the Duke students who like to go out, whether that means a movie in the room or a club; and finally, the chinese spartans who study in their rooms all the time. Then there's the rest of us, who are normal and well adjusted (of course). It's been pretty hard to mix the differing people together like a salad with celery and tomatos and crutons (especially the darn-ed crutons), but honestly, I'm totally happy conversing with the same 4 people over and over. My suitemate's dad came over and paid for our little embarquement at Outback steakhouse, which in totality set him back 1000 RMB, a pretty meaty sum (if you know what I mean, ha, ha). It was amazing--so much steak, and I bet it had to be imported, because they don't make steak like that in China. And then we smoked a hookah with the dad(I didn't participate in these illicit-sounding behaviors, though; I just silently, implicitly, complied).


My aunt brought me 'hella' money for my birthday (it was just 4 days ago! The head teacher surprised me with a huge cake after the first class, and I got another cake later, and some nice decorations on my door, some of which I still don't know from who :D) and for some reason, 4 days later mind you, I have 1700 left. Ouch. I bought 700 kuai worth of clothes at this underground market yesterday and today (and after that I flew a kite!) but rather then feeling like pulling teeth, it felt like eating a chocolate cake that I found on the ground, with a bow tie attached that said my name. Get this--for 100 American (people? no, no dollars), I got a sweet thick (as in put-a-plastic-bag-around-my-hand-to-slip-it-on) bracelet, a fake lacoste shirt, a pair of black volcom pants, 3 sick hoodies that are too big for me--one has a see-through plastic hood!, a pair of pure white basketball shorts, 2 pairs of really nice, skinny jeans that I think I would marry if I was into that, a pair of yellow converse for 4 american (it looks like I'm wearing banana peels, actually) basketball shirts with celtics players on the front that scream bandwagon, two 'bape' brand look-alikes (think Bongo) shirts, one yellow and one blue, both with english that is incomprehensible when read in a sentence-like structure, and finally, finally, the piece da resistance--a BAPE HAT for 20 kuai! I think I'm in love. Sorry. I like shopping in China. I still need to get one more--oh, who am I kidding, 3 more--lacoste shirts, another pair of outrageous colored-shoes, 2 more hats (America: 40 bucks. China: 3 bucks.), 2 more pairs of basketball shorts, and a teddy bear. Just because.

I also saw a buddha monk walking down the street one day, and he approached a hot dog stand on the corner; walked up to it, and said, "Make me one with everything."

Get it? Get it? haha...haha..ha? That didn't actually happen. Although I did see a panda shooting a gun in the air after eating a sandwich and leaving, as well as a tomato blushing. What fun, eh**.

I can't think of anything else, so here we dive right into the random thoughts of the day. There is no milk in China. NO MILK! I'm trying to go to the gym everyday to get my chicken meat increased, but there's no way I can do that unless I get some enhancements. And because I'm afraid of using Creatine, I'm screwed in China. I bought a pithy jar of protein powder for 255 kuai (38 bucks) and have used almost 1/2 of it. THE JAR WASN'T EVEN FULL TO BEGIN WITH. grr. The program's almost over--I started of thinking of the goodbyes I would have to endure in 5 weeks. It made me sad. This is why you don't make friends, so that the goodbye is happy, rather than sad. Just kidding! Kinda. Too, too fast. The sky was completely blue today. It was amazing--I could see the buildings in the distance, and when I looked up at leaves that were silhouetted against the sun, it reminded me of California. I still feel like I'm in the Matrix though, because it's just weird to see Beijing in this condition. Hopefully the government can pull some strings to keep it this way. I'm getting my hair straightened again. It's been a running joke (actually, it's the only thing I talk to the teachers about) that I want to get really cool Taiwanese pop star hair, and after having my hair straightened once already, to little effect, I'm going in again. I like long hair (not) but it needs to be straight for me to achieve the desired effect. So tomorrow, after classes, 3 hours of hair altering! Excited. I'm on this computer right now, belonging to a girl from John's Hopkins (in fact the only one from that slightly-above-average college) who simply does not take care of her computer. Whenever the slightest malfunction happens, she either 1. restarts and forcefully slams down the cover 2. clicks rapid-fire, to the point of breakdown where I feel bad about the computer even though it's not mine. 3. complains. It's painful to watch (especially the latter point). Also, it's the third replacement she's gotten this year so far. Figures, eh? Good thing she has other more endearing qualities, heh, heh (I don't know what the chuckles were for). Whenever I get into a cab, I'm afraid it's going to lead me halfway around the city before actually driving me to the required destination, but it hasn't happened yet. Call me McCarthy. I visited HBA this week and their campus is like a picnic under a blooming cherry tree on a partly-cloudy-sunny-sunny day. I mean trees everywhere, foreign students on campus like ants on a jolly rancher, and dorms that are singles. Which I actually don't think are a good thing. But there are so many good restaurants around the place! I'm jealous about how close they are to everything. The Adidas store in SanLiTuEr is amazing. Think a thousand shoe display, interactive games, sweet mannequins--even Chinese ones--, unfriendly service agents speaking English, and actual words written on the glass by really famous athletes. Except for tennis, which doesn't count. I flew a kite! For the first time! It wasn't too windy out! I haven't gone on Facebook for the longest time. And it feels good. This sounds really shallow, but I can't wait to go on it and read all the posts I got. Hopefully. Church was fun too--I didn't learn as much as I would have hoped, but apparently there are going to be interesting sermons in the coming weeks so we'll see how it goes. Finally, the life revelation that I've come to this week:

Ready for it?

Are you sure?

It's actually pretty good....so get your hopes up.

:Think back to the best things in your life, and you'll realize that none of them were planned for at all. At all. The best moments (spontaneous), the best friends (chance), the best feelings (unimaginable).

This applies for one week stretches too, as well as Duke Study in China programs.

I like drawing simple, cute, rabbits. and pigs.

-Peter Lu, or commonly referred to as "hey, dude, why are you wearing that?"

* - pwn - a term to, as the french call, apprehend how to simply breakdance breakdown (in a good way) a test, preferably Chinese ones.

** - the opinions expressed in the aforementioned paragraph do not necessarily reflect the views of the author, although it might if the price is right.

Ghost of a Good Thing

Key Tip #78: Don't let the comfort of your own dorm room create a whirlpool of laziness from which you don't get out and explore Beijing.

Exploring Beijing, among many other things

This week was excellent for the fact that I got out to multiple places of my own volition; besides the overnight trip to the Great Wall, there was Hoihai, the botanical gardens, as well as a couple of restaurants not within walking distance of the campus. It was soooo cool.

I highly recommend going to the botanical gardens, as there is a pretty amazing greenhouse as well as shrubs that are cut into all different kinds of shapes that represent the Olympic games. Hoihai is a typical destination, lots of bars and a nice scenic view from which to walk around in.

the classes this week were about as hard as last week--i'm more used to the structure, and the heritage class is rolling along at a staggering pace. I've spoken more chinese these last 2 weeks than i probably have ever, combined, in my entire life, and it's grown to be superbly comfortable. my language tutor and I are the best of friends; she's going to take me out to get protein powder as well as contact solution tomorrow.

finally, because the keyboard i'm using is really sticky and the shift button doesn't work, i'm going to end short today and make up for it next week. some thoughts rolling around in my head: people smoke here way too much. it's depressing actually--the person sitting next to me has been smoking nonstop, and I'm getting dizzy from the fumes. Also, Duke kids are really cool. 3 of them live super close to me and we go everywhere together, and the stories they tell of waiting 2 months to get tickets to a basketball game, or the beautiful Duke gardens right off campus, have all been enjoyable to hear.

china's smog isn't getting any better and i do not see how they will be able to have blue skies in 40 days, when the olympics start. just looking up makes me think: 1. im in the Matrix. 2. not seeing blue and not hearing any sort of wildlife makes me kind of depressed. 3. i'm in a snowglobe, except that instead of snow falling, it's (acid) rain and really, really gray. on the plus side though, I realized that at the restaurants there, there is no need to tip and there is no tax on anything, which means food = good, therefore life = good.

As Lovers Go

Week one is over! Finally? Already? I'm not quite sure what I feel about the first week as of now--though, one thing is for certain--I am so relaxed it is the weekend.

After the first week of classes, I greatly appreciate the fact that Chinese is the only subject we have to study for. Without other classes to divide the attention, I feel like I'm really absorbing everything that has been taught in the lessons. Let's break it down one by one:

The teachers: Much better than I expected. Did you know that they work harder than us (most of us) ? One of the teachers that I knew before told me that they had 5 hours of work outside of classes everyday (in addition to preparing for their end of the year tests, for some of them). The instruction has been superb. Since I'm a Hua2 Yi4, I'm in the advanced class for the 3rd years, and the extra talking that they make us do in class has been the most beneficial for me. I actually tested into 2nd year when I took the 1st test, but after talking to the teachers and (begging) them to let me go up a year, I'm in 3rd year now! They're willing to help anytime, even after classes are over, and most of them are cool people too.

The homework: I realized this after the first day--you can get by if you do a lackluster job on studying, because there is so much instruction that you will be fine when it comes to the big test on Friday. Still, the problem is that if you want to absorb everything and really learn learn the material, then I suggest just going over the book (which is a princeton book) front to back 2 times. The lessons have about 50 words that you need to memorize, and there are about 7 grammar structures that they go over the next day. 3 Solid Hours (of studying) should do the trick.

The Culture and the Language Pledge: Beijing is cool. Though I've been here for 3 weeks already, the fact that there are a whole bunch of people living with you who can only speak Chinese helps me to improve so much. Though the Language Pledge isn't that strictly enforced, especially when people are in their rooms, it has helped so much for me when there are day to day interactions that need to be done. More on this to come--I've been studying and staying in my room too much to tell you anything new haha.

Language Partner: I LOVE HER. Not that way, dude. But she is amazing--even though we only had to meet from Monday to Thursday, she came on Friday to help me out for the test that was at 1pm that day. She's a student at Capital Normal University, going into her 3rd year, and majoring in English. She tries really hard to use all the grammar structures that we were learning, and she even took me to the library, the cafeteria, and the main campus! Best part, we're friends too, which makes asking her questions and hanging out much easier.

I want fruit, especially Asian Pears. I also hate the internet connection here-- te4 bie3 slow. But I like the dorms we're in, especially because they're all air conditioned and don't have squatting toilets. I'm accustomed to the food here now. I think I like Asian girls better than white girls. I haven't listened to American music for at least a month now. I want to eat a Big Mac. KFC is really weird here, the menu is, to put it lightly, wak. Finally, I have to extend my visa, and it's going to cost 1000 yuan. Never put yourself in that position--get the 90 day visa. Till next week!

Several Ways to Die Trying

*This was edited for content and general competency on August 11th, 2008*

For the 3 or so people who will discover this blog and read the least bit of it, I'm going to lay it out right now: This will not be interesting. So stop now. However, if you wish to read on, I'm willing to bet that at some specific junctures, you might be, possibly, slightly amused. So let's get going, shall we!


Reach Out Group visiting Beijing University!

It's the 13th right now (move in day for the Duke program) and I've been in Beijing for the last 3 weeks. Doing what, you might ask? Well, the Reach Out program. Tidbits:

Picture on the left is us walking over to the site of the migrant school we were working at. The surrounding area was literally a dump, but the school itself was clean, somewhat.

The migrant situation in China is depressing. There are over a million migrant children in Beijing, meaning after they finish middle school, they'll have to go back to their hometown to attend a high school--but, since their parents work in the city, the possibility of a proper education is very slim. We visited numerous NGOs addressing the situation, but none of them can allay the root problem, unless the government changes overall policy.

The number of NGOs in China is rapidly booming. After the Sichuan earthquake, a deluge of groups have stepped up to help out in any way they can, laying the foundation not just for earthquake directed NGOs but NGOs in general. While they still have significant technical barriers to overcome--an NGO cannot have more than one office in China (they have to register in places such as Hong Kong, and open ancillary offices in China)--the situation is brightening.

Beijing people are willing to talk to you wherever you go. Whether it's a bored attendant working in a hostel or a stranger buying clothes in the same store or the waitress at the restaurant you happen to be eating in that night, conversation (in Chinese of course) is literally waiting for you at every corner.

The second part of my trip involved a backpacking tour throughout Anhui province. It might have been the best decision I made all year. Six days and multiple mountain ranges later...

Monkeys. At Jiuhuashan. As we were climbing down the mountain, a family of six monkeys literally ran onto the path, started climbing on each other, oblivious to the gawking humans ten feet away. This spectacle went on for at least three minutes before an unsuspecting hiker scared them away. For the rest of the hike down, we could hear their yells from the forest above us.

Nick puked. Self-explanatory. Picture this: all the steps we were climbing were at least at a 65 degree incline.

Chinese merchants are smart. Really smart. At the base of Jiuhuashan, there is an oval pond where literally hundreds of turtles and thousands of fish swim. The tiny shops around the pond sell turtles and fish, in small dilapidated boxes. Every morning, I've heard that there are less fish and turtles than the night before.

That's how narrow it was at the top. Straight 2000 m drop if you fall.

It's hard to see sunrises in China. At both mountain peaks we climbed, despite the fact that we woke up at 4:30, there wasn't one legitimate sunrise; either the fog was too dense, the cloud cover was too low, or there was just a lot of smog.

Hiking up in a thunderstorm is not pleasant. The 1300 meter hike to the hostel at the top of Huangshan was accomplished in pouring rain and occasional flashes of light. If you ever, be sure to buy raincoats before you get to the tourist sites. Whereas a yellow raincoat sells for around two dollars in the city, in the middle of a rainstorm near the entrance gate of Huangshan, they can only be bought for twenty dollars.

Always check if there are student discounts on anything. I probably saved $200 buying train tickets that were half off, and admission to tourist sites is at least half off, even if you only have a foreign student ID.

Cards are a great way to pass the time when it's raining outside.


<- Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Filmed There.
Shanghai people dress a lot better than Beijing people do. When you ride the subway in Shanghai, as opposed to Beijing, you'll notice that every single girl, no matter how old, is wearing stylish clothing. In Beijing, that's not quite the case. The people are more down-to-earth, friendlier, but not as well dressed. In Shanghai, I tried approaching this girl who had cornrows in her hair (and she was pretty good looking too) but when I walked towards her (from 2 o'clock) she looked at me as if I were going to steal the contents of her bag and, possibly, her dignity. I did the same thing in Beijing just a couple hours ago (except this time the girl didn't have cornrows) and I actually got some human interaction from the approach.

I met one of the Duke teachers while on the train back to Beijing. She was going to be teaching calligraphy, and her roommate is one of the full-time professors here. I even talked to her on the phone! She was really nice and told me how to get to Capital Normal University. Not only that, but the train compartment I was staying in taught me a lot of Beijing slang that I am totally going to use on the streets. Fo sho.



To end, I'm sitting in the lobby of Capital Normal University. I look around, and I see a gold-plated horse standing on a heart, a hotel lobby worker dialing into a phone and speaking Chinese, and bathing suits on sale in the general convenience store. I can't wait for the placement test tomorrow. Last comment: my three weeks in China have really made me appreciate this country, past the pollution, overpopulation, and lack of sanitation. In fact, the more I'm here, the more I think about getting an internship later on, possibly studying more Chinese. Obviously, I haven't even stepped into a classroom yet, but hopefully the next eight weeks will be as enriching as I think they will be.