Untethered Nothings

Spring has Sprung

2009-04-23T07:19:00.002-04:00

It has been a long time since I wrote anything on these pages. I guess I just got out of the habit, and really didn't feel like I had much to say. But with the new green leaves (and all that wonderful pollen) and the increasing sunlight as the days get longer, I felt an urge to say something.

It has been a good year so far. It is brilliant to be able to say that, as last year was a very difficult one for me.

I have started a new job at Winston & Strawn, a lawfirm here in DC as a Trade Analyst, and although the hours will be long (as expected), I am feeling like my work matters and that I am being productive. As an added perk, my first work trip to China is coming in about a week and a half. As was the case when I was at the Department of Commerce, it is on the trips that you really begin to understand the cases you are looking at, and are able to connect with people from far away. It will be a learning experience for me, and I look forward to doing something challenging and new.

These days I feel like I am in a dream-like version of my own life, as the fun and love I am surrounded with just keeps coming. Between jobs, we went to Kaua'i for a week, and had a remarkable week of fun and laughter and excitement (some of it scary, some of it really cool). Between the hiking on the edge of a 2000' drop, seeing a White Tip Shark while snorkeling, and sitting in our hot tub on the deck sipping wine while the wind blew through the trees and the crash of waves sounded in the distance, it really could not have been a more wonderful week.

In the midst of so much sadness and loss and worry happening in the world, I almost feel guilty for being so happy, but have decided to revel in these good times. I could not have gotten through the last year without the support of friends, and I hope all of those experiencing hard times right now have even half as many wonderful people around them as I do.

I am just coming to the realization that this post sounds nothing like my usual self! I am finding the transition from being the real downer at the party to a happy person a strange one, so bear with me folks!

2 Great Causes...

2009-02-11T10:30:00.003-05:00

So I've apparently gotten into this whole doing good thing. Never thought I would, but I guess in trying times you re-evaluate what you want to do and what impact you want to have. I hope you will join me.

So here it goes.

As many of you know, in November, I rode in El Tour de Tucson, which was 109-miles in one day (9 hours to be exact). In doing so, thanks to the generosity of friends and family, I raised $4,000+ for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in the process. I had such a rewarding experience with the whole process, that I'm doing it all over again, this time 100-miles in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride, in Tahoe. I know many of you donated last year to the cause, but please consider helping out again, as in the current economy families struggling with cancer are in ever more need of the services supplied by LLS. Read all about my training and experiences and find out where to donate here. I couldn't have done the last ride without the support of my friends, and I hope you'll all be with me again!

But I'm also going local. As pretty much the whole country knows, DC has some of the worst schools in the country. It is a rare instance when schools close for snow or anything else because a large percentage of kids get their only square meals in their school cafeterias. But it's not just that...the schools are crumbling. So the organization formerly known as DC for Obama is getting together to be involved in Servathon 2009. Our task is going to be spending the day May 2, 2009 painting classrooms, building playgrounds, landscaping, and I'm participating. If you can spare a dollar or two, please visit my page here to help out!

If you can't help out in either of these causes, get involved locally...PLEASE! Volunteer your time, your energy, your hearts to helping out those in need!

An Amazing Weekend...

2009-01-22T18:40:00.004-05:00

I was going to write something long and attempt to be eloquent about this weekend in Washington, DC for the Inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States, as my friend Ann over at Tragic Optimist did. But I realized nothing could possibly capture what it was like to be here, on the ground, as it was happening.

Beginning on Friday night the crowds began arriving, and the city was in full swing by Saturday night. Many of us residents were worried about the revised bar closing time of 5:00 AM, but our worries were for nothing. There was such a positive atmosphere, there were no incidents, no fights, no nothing! That feeling lasted all weekend, culminating in the explosion of excitement and joy when Barack took the oath of office.

Here are some of my favorite moments (in chronological order):

Standing opposite the Lincoln Memorial with 400,000 other people, listening to The Boss and U2, then laughing at the spectacle of Jack Black trying to be serious and reciting Lincoln
Rocking out to Moby spinning at a local club from 12am - 2am, then rocking that much harder after the power came back on again at 2:45am
Showing up at RFK Stadium as part of the Day of Service on MLK Day, and realizing that 10,000 other people listened to Barack's call to serve on Monday just at that location alone!
Waking up at 8am and realizing that the Mall was already 3/4 full of people, so having to book down to try and get as close to a jumbotron as possible
Standing in a sea of a little under 2 million people chatting, laughing, and talking while we waited for the ceremony to start
The roar of joy when each of the following showed up: Al Gore, Teddy Kennedy, Hillary & Bill Clinton, Michele Obama, Sasha & Malia Obama, and loudest of all, Barack Obama
The thunderous boos when each of the following showed up: Clarence Thomas, Dick Cheney (also accompanied by laughter though), and George W. Bush
The fact that 2 million people stopped and became perfectly silent for 10 minutes while a quartet including Itzak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma played Classical Music (Air and Simple Gifts, arranged by John Williams in this case)
Watching Barack Hussein Obama take the Oath of Office, and feeling the surge of joy and hearing the roar of the crowd.

And that was my experience....I will leave you with a picture, that I feel captures the mood of the whole weekend:

Things to Do

2008-12-07T22:02:00.004-05:00

So I read this fun post on The Tragic Optimist, and decided coming up with my answers to the meme would be a fun thing to do the night before I start a new job, so here it goes

The 100 Things to Do list…
Things in life I’ve done in underline
Things I’d like to do in red
I’ve added comments in parentheses

Started your own blog (yep…which is why you’re reading this now!)
Slept under the stars (in college…camping…etc…)
Played in a band (I would never wish that on anyone – musical skills are nada)
Visited Hawaii (favorite place on earth…especially Kauai!)
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity (since I never feel like I have given enough I don’t know what will be more than I can afford, but I would like to someday get up the courage really sacrifice for something more important than my own comfort…)
Been to Disneyland (tons of times…one of the benefits of growing up in Southern California and having an aunt who lived 15minutes away from the happiest place on earth…my favorite time was when I was “Queen of the Morning” in Fantasy land!)
Climbed a mountain (well…sort of – see this post)
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo (hah! – see also #3)
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris (ah…Paris…)
Watched a lightning storm
Taught yourself an art from scratch (I would love to REALLY learn photography…)
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning (I’ve been to China a lot…’nuf said)
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables (does a couple of peppers and some tomatoes count?)
Seen the Mona Lisa in France (actually, I’ve been to the Louvre several times, but never thought fighting the hordes to see this one painting was worth it when there was so much incredible art everywhere around me…)
Slept on an overnight train (Europe & China)
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (hasn’t everyone?)
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping (I think I have a vague memory of doing this in High School, but I’m not sure)
Run a Marathon (and never will…though I did just ride 109 miles over 9 hours on my bike – I think that counts right?)
Ridden in a gondola in Venice (oddly, though I was in Venice, I missed this…I’ll have to go back and try it)
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset (almost every day in High School…I’d drive down to the beach and do my homework and watch the sun set…not a bad way to live)
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise (and have no desire to…unless it’s one of those ultra-riche Caribbean sailing cruises, which I’ll never be able to afford anyway)
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (who wouldn’t want to go to the Czech Republic?)
Seen an Amish community
Taught yourself a new language (I guess immersion doesn’t count…but does pig latin?)
Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (see also #16)
Gone rock climbing (while I’ve done it in the safety of REI, I’d love to really get into this and climb out west…)
Seen Michelangelo’s David
Sung karaoke (I tortured friends with the caterwauling on March to the Reub night in 1998)
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (who wouldn’t???)
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa (Egypt fascinates me…)
Walked on a beach by moonlight (one of my favorite things in the world to do – everything in the world that is bad in your life seems so much less important walking in the dim light with the ocean crashing next to you…)
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (*sigh* only been half-way so I guess I’ll have to go back)
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (I’d like to do both someday, but for now I’ve only been snorkeling and adore it)
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Been in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business with a partner
Taken a martial arts class (Aikido…loved it while it lasted…)
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen (see also #6)
Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Gone whale watching (one more benefit of living in San Diego as a child…field trip every year to watch the Humpback Wales migrate)
Got flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Bounced a check (though it really wasn’t my fault – the check was 3 years old from a bank account in a state I no longer lived in and had closed 2 years prior - they modified the date to make it not stale-dated and tried to cash it…I almost sued them when they reported me to a credit agency, but it wasn’t worth the hassle for only $25)
Flown in a helicopter
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job (would anyone actually say they wanted to do this??? Hmmm...)
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Broken a bone
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book
Visited the Vatican
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper (this one’s beyond cool…I was standing on stage behind Obama the day after he clinched the nomination…and the picture on the front page of the Washington Post was one with me in it, standing right behind and between Obama and Tim Kaine…)
Read the entire Bible (close though...even though I've never been to Church, I always found the Bible itself fascinating...)
Visited the White House (but I may try now since I like the fellow that’s going to take over!)
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Had chickenpox
Saved someone’s life (I guess I never want to be in a position of someone needing my saving if you know what I mean…)
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous (former VP Mondale and Nicholas Kristof were the coolest ones…)
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby (this one is a question still…so I’m not going to say I want to…YET…)
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
Read an entire book in one day

I guess that's the list...and if you got through that you're quite a patient person!

Things I Am Thankful For

2008-11-27T21:00:00.004-05:00

After seeing a list on my friend's blog here, I thought I should make my own on this Thanksgiving Day. Note that this is in no particular order...

good wine
the best friends ever
a warm toasty home
that I am not in Mumbai
Pandora music on my iPhone
fire (cause without it we wouldn't have great food...or coffee...or warm crackling fireplaces)
coffee
that I reconnected with long-lost family
Doug
that I have some skill in the kitchen
beauty in all its forms
...

Thank you to everyone who has made this last challenging year better for me, and for bearing with my uncertainties and insecurities. Your support (you know who you are...) has helped me make it through when I thought I'd never make it.

So on this Thanksgiving Day, let's take a moment to think about those who are hurting, hungry, or need us, and vow to help in the next year in any way we can....

It Never Rains But....

2008-11-25T09:03:00.003-05:00

I had a plan. It was a good plan. It was organized and ready to go. First, I would finish the fundraising and the 109-mile bike ride. Then I would finish studying for the GMAT and finish my business school applications. Then I would find some causes to work for while I was waiting to find out what would happen with my applications, take a couple of classes (Chinese and Calculus), and work on a fall-back position for if I didn't get into business school. HAH!

Well, as often happens in life, a new twist entered the mix. Turns out after all this time I'm going to be gainfully employed again. It's very exciting and terrifying at the same time. However, I'm excited about the new job (even if it is in DC). And it gives me an excuse to go shopping (though I guess I won't be able to sit in my robe until 11am anymore....).

New job for a new year....guess it's fitting!

Yes We Did

2008-11-05T16:31:00.003-05:00

Last night's election was inspiring for many people, disappointing for many others. But for me, it was a moment I will remember forever.

Happenings....And Pictures

2008-10-17T12:18:00.006-04:00

So I am truly a bad blogger, in that I have had almost nothing to say for a while now. However, I thought I should take a couple of minutes to at least give a minuscule nod to the idea that I do have a blog that is not dedicated to my training for my 109 mile bikeride. Really...the training and the fundraising has been taking most of my creative energy these days, which I guess is kind of pathetic that I can't drum up any additional effort to write a couple of words here on this blog that I started almost exactly a year ago.

Yes...it was a year ago that I began this little blog. I started it in an effort to communicate with friends and family while I jumped off a bridge and flew off to China for 3 months. It then morphed into musings on life, the universe, and everything, but ended up a little boring as once I returned from China last December I didn't have much to say. Searching for work, searching for your goals in life, etc., etc., apparently doesn't lend itself to much communication with the outside world.

But I thought I could take this time to list a few things that I have learned over the last year:

I am not as open-minded and able to adapt easily as I always imagined myself. My trip to China taught me where my boundaries are and where I need to let go and let life be life rather than trying to control it.
Looking for a job sucks. I mean really sucks. While I have had some incredible validation from some amazing people that I "should" be able to find a job (and have come relatively close a couple of times), the reality is decidedly more humiliating and confidence-crushing. The only thing that has gotten me through is having wonderful friends that have done their damnedest to keep my spirits up...but it still sucks!
Tangential to #2 is I've learned that I have the BEST FRIENDS EVER!!!
I need to stop thinking so much about what is logical and expected, but start thinking about what will make me happy and make the world a better place.
Control over one's life is completely impossible, despite my best efforts. Every day now I am having to learn all over again that I don't know what is going to happen, and if I try to make the future conform to my ideas of what it should be I will go insane.
Doing something difficult and new for someone else is amazingly rewarding, and the payoff is seeing these numbers rise...

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive in the last year...it has meant the world to me...

I'll leave you for now with some of my favorite photos from this last year:

Hopefully I'll find a new voice and you'll hear from me again soon.

What To Do Next?

2008-09-08T09:05:00.004-04:00

Well, it has been almost a year since I left my job at the Department of Commerce, and I have to say, this is not where I thought I would be. I took the leap, got out of a job that had taught me a lot but also created un-abating frustrations, and did something that I had always wanted to do but never had the courage to do - run off to China and learn Mandarin. My experience in Beijing was unique, I learned a lot, and it only reinforced my love of China and my interest in continuing to be a part of the extraordinary development happening there.

At first, I did not think that much about what would be next, in that I decided to take the next logical step and look for a job in China using what I already knew and the skills I already had. That first leap, largely due to the current economic woes, while teasingly close to getting me what I wanted, fell apart at the last minute in April. What I had been working towards, however, lacked forethought and personal discovery of exactly what I wanted to do with my life, and what I wanted my life to mean.

Since April I have been spending a lot of time in self-discovery, as I find job postings that would have excited me a year ago merely ok. I've seen friends get married, attended a college reunion, and met a bunch of new friends. I have done some volunteer work for the Obama campaign, spent a lot of time exploring my creative side in the kitchen, and generally re-evaluating my life. The conclusion I have come to is that I am tired of the easy path I chose for myself. I want to do something meaningful, important, and most importantly help people.

As a first step, I decided to get off my tired rear end and DO something, which is why I signed up to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society while training for a 109-mile bike ride. Fundraising is nothing I have ever done before, but I find it incredibly rewarding to see each individual donation appear here.

But still the larger question is how to take my past experiences and roll them into a longer-term life experience. In my time in China I have seen some horrible things, from labor conditions, to living quarters, to thick films on rivers and lakes, to toxic hazes over cities. My own experiences in Beijing left my lungs feeling like I had been a pack-a-day smoker my whole life. I have met some incredible people in my time in China, and I wonder why they should have to live in that kind of environment, and feel bad that I have not done more to help over the years.

The problem is, right now, I feel like I lack the knowledge to meaningfully contribute to helping businesses bring environmental technologies to China and work with the government to get them executed. So I am thinking of going back to school to merge my business and government experience with study of emerging environmental technologies. Who knows if this is the right decision, but at least I will be moving towards bringing a better life to the myriad people I have met over the years. But for now, I will be spending the next month studying for the GMAT (standardized tests...the bane of my existence), and deciding what schools would best serve the purpose I have chosen...

I would love to hear from friends and family about life-changing decisions you made, and how you knew what you were doing was the right decision.

Silly Cat

2008-09-03T18:07:00.004-04:00

A little while ago, we received a shipment from my Aunt in a very large box with a bunch of packing peanuts. Hilarity ensued (I'll let the pictures speak for themselves):

And my personal favorite (apparently packing peanuts are YUMMY!):

Excuses....

2008-08-24T22:54:00.003-04:00

Not that very many people read this blog or anything, but I thought I'd write a mea culpa about why I have been so lax about writing. (A bit ironic no? writing about not writing...hmmm....must think on that some more)

Well, I haven't had much to say these days, as not much has been going on in my life. One would think, with a bunch of free time, tons of (surprisingly) good weather, and generally a world-is-my-oyster time period, a person of moderate creativity could find a way to make something interesting happen. I guess I'm just not one of those people. I've been reading, relaxing, and generally taking stock of my life. I have decided that I have no idea what I want my life to be, and have started setting out to figure out what I really want out of this strange world called life. I know I want to work, I know I want to contribute, and I know I want to use my (not small, if I do say so myself) skills dealing with China. But that's about where it ends.

So I have been silent as a ghost. I do believe, unless something momentous happens, that I may be silent for a bit to come as well - as I am not one for posting my innermost thoughts on the web for posterity to read. If you, dear reader, happen to stumble upon this post in your wanderings though the web, know that I am here delving into the strange world that is my dreams for the future...whatever those are. But for the moment, I may only say hello occasionally to my web-friends (whomever you may be)...

In the meantime, I will be blogging quite extensively here, as I train for a century bike ride (109 miles to be precise) with my other half, which will occur in Tuscon, AZ in November. I'll be raising money for a great cause, so stop by here if you would be so kind and help a cancer surviver.

Road Trip to a Great Wedding

2008-08-06T17:27:00.007-04:00

Like many people these days, I’m amazed at how expensive flying has become. Day was, you could fly from Washington, DC to Chicago for about $120-$150. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. But we had to go to Chicago for our friend Catherine’s wedding, so we decided to take a road trip. We drove from Washington, DC through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, to Chicago, IL. There were some great sights along the way, including this really cool wind farm in Somerset, PA:

Given the amount of time we had on the road, Doug and I had a bunch of time to discuss all sorts of issues, including how cool an old-fashioned drive-in called Swensen’s is (read about our meal there, and other thoughts on our road food on my other blog here):

Also discussed was why this truck was hauling an electronic bull across Indiana, seen at a rest stop somewhere on the Indiana Turnpike:
But most importantly of course was seeing our great friend Catherine get married after 10+ years with John. The ceremony was lovely, with an emphasis on reading really wonderful poems and quotes and such (I have to admit I did tear up a bit a couple of times). We hung out with a few friends, blew some bubbles outside Bond Chapel at the University of Chicago, goofed around a bit, and generally had fun celebrating with our friend:

Kayaking in Connecticut, and Waterfalls in New York City

2008-07-08T16:21:00.006-04:00

This week I am in New York City, taking advantage of the fact that Doug is at a conference in Manhattan to wander around the city where we may end up before the end of the year. Although we both would rather be back on the West Coast, life, the universe, and everything, is conspiring to make us believe we will likely end up here in New York before long. Since his conference was immediately preceded by the Fourth of July long weekend, we decided to visit our long-lost friends who moved to South Norwalk, Connecticut in March. They have a lovely two bedroom little house with a back deck abutting a hillside (to read about our fun grilling on the deck check out my post here), and we spent a relaxing weekend drinking wine and chatting about life.

By Sunday we were all ready to get out and about, and had a great time renting sea kayaks in Rowayton, CT and paddling out to the Long Island Sound past the most ridiculously large houses you’ve ever seen. I don’t have any pictures of the kayaking adventure, because I didn’t bring my waterproof camera, but here’s a picture of Rowayton looking out towards the sound past all the adorable boats:

We got into New York City on Monday afternoon, had some great Indian food at Tiffin Wallah (how can you beat $6/person for a delicious, authentic, buffet?), then relaxed in our lovely hotel room with a view of downtown and the Brooklyn Bridge in the evening and caught up on our sleep.

Today I was on my own as Doug attended the conference. For the first time, I decided to do something really touristy (but not TOO touristy), and take a boat cruise to see the new installation art piece called Waterfalls. Funded by the Public Art Fund, it is a series of four artificial waterfalls created over the river, including one under the Brooklyn Bridge and one on Governor’s Island. I went early in the day to avoid the hordes, and it was well worth it, as I was one of only 10 people on a huge boat to see the falls. I am always intrigued by large-scale installation art, and found it to be really lovely, although I found the one under the Brooklyn Bridge to be the most organic and with the best sense of place. Here are a few photos from the morning:

This afternoon I wandered up to Chelsea Market, and was heartily disappointed by what I saw. I guess it’s a factor of the changing costs associated with the neighborhood, but what was supposed to be a great place to buy meat, fish, and vegetables directly from vendors, apparently has lost much of that character. On the bright side, it does appear they are trying to turn it into something resembling the Ferry Building in San Francisco (which I adore). This evening, Doug and I will be trying to get in to Tia Pol for dinner, about which I will blog over here tomorrow.

Fun Quiz

2008-06-24T08:51:00.003-04:00

I'm part of a group that sends out China-related business information, and fortunately they also insert some levity into the situation as well. A link to a website was included in the most recent email. I read it and got a huge kick out of it. Anyone who has spent time in China is alternately terrified, annoyed, or amused, by the apparent lack of any meaningful logic to the way people drive. I have generally concluded that it is survival of the fittest, i.e., whomever gets there first, and woe the person who tries to buck that system!

I'd suggest you take the driving quiz...it's quite amusing!

Fun with Tags from Other Blogs

2008-06-09T11:16:00.005-04:00

So…I’m new to this whole tagging thing, but I’ve been tagged by The Tragic Optimist, and since she’s such a great friend, I’ll indulge her. Plus I guess I haven’t blogged in like 2 months so I should get off my rear end and say something, lest you all think I’m a total loser!

I guess the tagging thing works like this: you are posed a list of questions, which you subsequently answer in your blog, then tag some other people. Ugh…answering questions…

Here goes nothing:

What was I doing 10 years ago?

Exactly what I am doing right now (weird huh? It’s like I’ve come full circle):

being unemployed
trying to discover where I fit in in the world
trying to motivate myself to get back in shape

Graduating college and learning how to live in the “real world”

What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

Work out then go to the pool
Cook something really yummy for dinner
Apply to two jobs
Try not to melt in the blistering heat
Update my blogs

Snacks I enjoy….

Chips & Salsa or Guacamole
Wine (is that a snack?)
Blueberries
Potato Chips

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Buy a little place on the beach somewhere
Endow a charity to help fund education in rural China
Pay off all my debts and the debts of my family
Travel around the world doing voluntourism and learning how to cook in kitchens of wonderful people everywhere
Move to San Francisco and open a restaurant to help at-risk teenagers learn a trade

Places I have lived:

San Diego (the first 18 years...)
Northfield, MN (2 addresses, 4 years)
Minneapolis, MN (2 addresses, 3 years)
Arlington, VA (3 addresses in the same building, 2 1/2 years)
Washington, DC (in our first owned home, 2003 - present)
Beijing, China (2 addresses, once in college, once at a homestay)
Maastricht, the Netherlands (in college)

Jobs I have had:

Office Assistant, Financial Aid Office at Carleton
Barrista
Cashier
Project Analyst
Marketing Manager
International Trade Analyst for the US Government
Independent Consultant

Bloggers I’m tagging for this meme…

David, Angela & Rowan
All About Charlotte
Gwinn in MN
You…since I really don’t have any other blog-friends :-)

Hope I did ok on my first meme....

Save the Honeybees?

2008-04-24T16:55:00.002-04:00

I just saw the strangest thing....

It's an ad from Haagen Dazs, which I saw for the first time on TV today. I guess by now we've all heard about hive collapse disorder (bees are disappearing at an alarming rate and no one seems to know why as of yet...). It's a little odd to think that we've reached the point where an ice cream company is making commercial to save the bees! Then I think about it some more, and I wonder how soon it will be until we have a really serious problem in our food supply due to not enough honeybees (to say nothing of the crisis right now due to food prices in the developing world).

Just some food for thought.

Oh, I'm back in DC for those who are wondering...

Bird’s Nest in Beijing

2008-04-19T06:51:00.006-04:00

I have come to the firm conclusion that race walking should never be considered an Olympic sport. I mean seriously, they are WALKING!!! That being said, these people get some killer speed under their belts, as today the finishing time for the Men’s 50km Race Walk was 3 hours and about 45 minutes. Pretty insane if you ask me, even if they do look a little silly walking really fast…

But the highlight of the day, and really the only reason to go was to get inside the cool new national stadium, the Bird’s Nest. It really is exceptionally cool from the outside, as it is completely open in design with nothing but curved steel from ground to top.

The inside looks like pretty much every other stadium I’ve been in, other than the weird elementary school looking seats, but the outside is spectacularly intricate, and I had a “how did they do that” moment. And talk about attention to detail, even the walkway lights are formed to look like the big structure!

Many Meetings…(the Opposite of Many Partings for those LOTR Fans Out There).

2008-04-18T01:26:00.001-04:00

Well, it has been a crazy couple of days here in Beijing. I have had worse-than-usual jetlag, and have gotten maybe 4-5 hours of sleep each night, despite being so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open in the evening. Oh, and the rampant allergies haven’t helped either. Fortunately, I am lucky enough to be staying with a friend with an air purifier, and brought plenty of cough drops and eye drops!

But the real highlight of the week has been the many meetings. I had the interview I originally flew out for on Wednesday, which went OK, but I wish I had felt better about it. Then Thursday I ended up meeting with another company downtown right off Wanfujing (the main pedestrian shopping street, relatively close to Tiananmen Square). That meeting lasted about an hour and a half, and the two people I met with seemed like very interesting people. More importantly, it appeared as if they were interested in me, and began asking me leading questions about salary expectations and timeframes. I’m not sure if they are a firm I would want to work for as of yet, but it’s nice to know you made a good impression.

I thought that would be the end of my meetings for the time here (other than buying lunch for a great guy who has helped me immensely with advice and connections here). However, the universe had different ideas. I woke up this morning thinking I’d relax, maybe go shopping, maybe go to the gym and relax after a stressful couple of days. Instead, I got another call from the originally company (from Wednesday…I am avoiding using names on purpose here, not to confuse everyone!), asking me to come back in to meet with a couple of the senior managers. There was an inkling that this might happen, as one of the senior managers couldn’t make it on Wednesday due to client meetings, but it is a good sign that I didn’t totally flub my interview, despite the lack of preparedness and jetlag.

So here I am, biding my time until 2:30pm, when I have to get back into my suit and head back downtown. Here’s hoping it goes well and they don’t throw me for a loop on their questions again!

Oh, and tomorrow (Saturday), I head off to one of the cool Olympic venues to watch the first event ever to be held at the Bird’s Nest (where the Opening Ceremonies will be held)….and it’s gonna be….Race Walking! Hopefully they’ll let us take in cameras, and I’ll definitely post pictures of the festivities.

Hmmm....Just Cottonwood Pollen?

2008-04-16T02:41:00.008-04:00

I arrived in Beijing on Monday afternoon at the new airport terminal. While customs was a mess, due to not enough lines for the three 747s arriving at the same time, and the epic journey from the far end to baggage claim on the tram, it was pretty cool to see the fancy new airport. Plus I noticed the duty free shopping on the way home should be pretty nice!

It is odd to be back here again so soon, and it's starting to seem like old hat to have meetings, then sit and send a bunch of emails to set up more meetings. Plus, it's great to see the friends and eat the good food on a regular basis. I had my interview today, for those who are wondering, and though my jetlag wreaked havoc on my brain at the beginning (who knew they would ask me specific Chinese policy questions???), I did enjoy talking to all four of the interviewers over the course of the hour and fifteen minutes I was at the company. I have been told that they will likely make a decision by the end of the week, so this may all come together (or not) very quickly. Kind of daunting, but I guess I have been working towards this for a while.

On the "will I really live here" front, I thought I would share this lovely image of Beijing with all of you:

And no, this is not rain, nor fog, nor a result of the (massive) amount of cottonwood pollen in the air. It is what you all think ladies and gentleman...like Los Angeles on a bad day in the 1980s. It does make you wonder what the long-term effects of this kind of air will do to a person, and whether several years here will have any consequences from a health perspective. That being said, it is most definitely a priority of the government to fix this huge issue, and hopefully they have the power to do so for all our sakes...

Inspired By A Presidential Candidate for the First Time in My Life

2008-03-19T10:02:00.003-04:00

It is no secret that I have been a long-time supporter of Barack Obama. I am inspired by his eloquence, and his unexpected commitment to doing things differently (the first time I went to a volunteer meeting the first thing they told us is NEVER say anything bad about the other candidates....only good things about Barack).

However, even I was amazed and impressed by his speech yesterday. There will always be those who will say this is not enough, or it was a political ploy. However, he wrote this speech by himself, and clearly spoke from his heart - a rarity in American politics. It is my hope that America is ready for a person who actually speaks in the nuance that is the reality of the world, as opposed to being overly concerned by the sound bite do or die.

I am for the first time in my life truly inspired to step beyond myself and commit to a cause on a National level. Those who know me out there know I am quite a cynic, so may be surprised to learn that I plan on going up to Pennsylvania and dedicating whatever time the Obama campaign needs to win the primary there. I am proud to support a candidate who supports a majority of my policy priorities...and who steps beyond the traditional nasty poll-driven politics and says what he thinks and believes.

I suggest everyone listen to the speech in its entirety. Though it is 40 minutes long, no speech on race issues in America should be any shorter, and I believe this one is truly a landmark in American politics.

Back in DC

2008-03-18T08:59:00.004-04:00

Well, I didn't blog over the last couple of weeks, despite promises to various people to the contrary. Sorry about that folks. Been various reasons for not doing so, but needless to say I'm back in DC, and for those of you who are wondering I had a productive trip to China, I am happy to be home, and am now at home suffering from the Martian Death Flu (or so I am dubbing it).

For those of you who attended Carleton College from 94-98, you might remember the great Martian Death Flu epidemic of 1997...it has apparently returned this year (another friend in Minnesota recently recovered after a bout of this year's version). I am progressing and on the mend, after a brutal few days, which is a good thing, because I have a busy 2nd half of the week planned.

Back in Beijing Again

2008-02-29T03:31:00.001-05:00

I have to admit, it is a little surreal to be back in Beijing so soon after I left, especially since I’m in such an exceptionally different circumstance. Whereas in the Fall I was faced with challenges of my own limits, a language barrier, health issues, and many other issues, now it is so simple and easy. I am fortunate enough to have wonderful friends that are letting me stay with them while I’m here, which makes the experience that much more real in a lot of ways. (Real in a…so this is what it would be like to have my own apartment in Beijing sort of way…).

Despite the fact that this is a working trip for me, in that I am meeting with people, talking to various firms, etc., I have been enjoying myself immensely. There are a lot of very interesting folks who live here, and it is always fascinating to have the “how did you end up here” conversation. I have been taking advantage of the fact that I didn’t have any meetings this week to really get out and about and talk with random people. I have also been pleasantly surprised at how much my Chinese stuck around, though I have these weird holes in my memory for completely random words that I should remember. I am sure that will all resolve itself in time as I use the language on a daily basis. Last night I went to a happy hour with a friend and had 80% of a conversation for about an hour in Chinese…it made me feel really good about the effort I put in last fall. One nice thing is that my instinct from my trip here this fall to always be using Chinese has stuck around, and apparently my accent is still sufficient that people usually respond in kind. Hopefully I won’t totally disappoint my old tutor when I meet her for dinner on Sunday…

One unfortunate item of note: I was going to go skiing with a friend this weekend…which would have been really cool, if for no other reason than I could say I went skiing in Beijing…but it’s been so nice and warm that there’s nothing but ice left on the slopes. So no dice on my big plans for the weekend.

For those of you interested in my job search news, I have spent a good amount of time on the phone with some very interesting people, and I have some meetings set up for next week, so I’m feeling decent about where I am. While I would love something to just fall in my lap, I know that’s just not very likely, so I am just enjoying the experience for now.

Random Plug for Me...

2008-02-19T21:12:00.004-05:00

I wanted to make a shameless plug for my own publicity...

I was working at the polls as the Obama precinct captain (which basically meant hanging out by the polling place, waving signs, and answering voter questions encouraging them to vote for Obama) during our Primary here on February 12th. As a result I was there when someone from a women-orientated political website came by asking why I was supporting Obama. So I was interviewed on video. Unfortunately it doesn't look like they'll ever get my moment of fame video on their website (it being a week later and there being bigger political fish to fry), but my sentiments were mentioned on this post on their website...

Kinda silly, but fun!

Is this February???

2008-02-18T13:45:00.002-05:00

Today is quite a bizarre day. I wouldn't believe it is February unless I looked at the Calendar!

Washington DC, Reagan National Airport
Lat: 38.86 Lon: -77.03 Elev: 16
Last Update on Feb 18, 12:52 pm EST

Mostly Cloudy

72°F
(22°C)

Humidity:	37 %
Wind Speed:	W 17 G 26 MPH
Barometer:	29.50" (998.9 mb)
Dewpoint:	44°F (7°C)
Visibility:	10.00 mi.
More Local Wx:	3 Day History:

Though I know the temp is going to drop very quickly this evening, today has just been too good to be true! Boy am I ever happy I left Minnesota, where it's currently 10-degrees!

Happy President's Day everyone!

Where to Now?

2008-01-29T13:33:00.002-05:00

I have spent a lot of time thinking about what is next in my career, and trying to balance the warring sides of my nature: the one who searches out comfort, and the one who searches for a way to do good. How does one satisfy both? Can one satisfy both? Since returning from China, I have come to the conclusion that I really want to continue my career path along its track to spend more time in China, promoting Chinese economic development through trade and business. But the question I am debating is how best to do that?

In the end, Doug and I agreed that we wanted some new adventure in our lives. Both of us have usually done the "safe" thing. We didn't go off into the wild blue yonder and teach English in China, or backpack through Europe for a summer. Instead we found jobs and started our careers, him in Finance, me in Marketing and International Trade. Now we've reached a point when we know we're nearing the end of the time in our lives when we can take a lot of big risks. So we've decided that the best way to have an adventure and yet still maintain a certain amount of comfort and security is to find jobs in China. I for one have always wanted to live and work overseas. I believe it provides a unique opportunity to explore other cultures and meet people from all walks of life.

To that end, I'm once again going back to Beijing to meet people and do informational interviews, but this time only for a few weeks, not the 3 months of last time. I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of interesting people, and determining, on a more real-world basis, where I fit in in the professional world. While I know what I want to do (i.e., market entry strategy consulting), my goal for this trip is to find out what the world at large will LET me do!

I'm looking forward to the next step, and jumping into a new adventure!

Did We Really Climb to 15,000+ feet?

2008-01-02T14:24:00.000-05:00

Lijiang:

This town was most definitely the highlight of the trip. However, we’re also convinced that we’d hate it in any other time than off-season. This opinion was reinforced by the statements of our new friends at Sexy Tractor...a great resource for local info in town actually, and one of the most pleasant porches to hang out on for a day, watching the world walk by on the cobblestone streets below you.

I guess I’m at a loss on how to really describe Lijiang. Where Dali was a quaint town that had been overrun by tourist-led renovations, Lijiang somehow managed to keep its character as an old town where people actually lived their lives. As we wandered the backstreets of the old city, I was struck by how much it was a lived-in city, with all the qualities of a small, happy town, and full of people who had lived there for generations. In most of China I have found that the cities have been built with a plan to an extent that one city feels and looks very much the same as another. Lijiang was the exception. Yes, parts have the feeling of a bad theme park as flag-toting tourist guides lead baseball-cap-clad Chinese tourists, but once you leave the main drag shopping streets it’s like you’ve stepped back in time and into another world populated by women wearing traditional Naxi clothing, hawking their vegetables down the alleyways. I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves because all narrative in my stilted prose would fail to do it justice:

Oh, and did I mention that on our second day in Lijiang we accidentally hiked up to 4680 meters? Yes, most of it was accomplished by a gondola, but we sincerely thought we were only going up to 3000 meters, and then we get on the gondola and we just kept going up. There’s a stunning mountain in the Lijiang area called Yu Long Xue Shan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain), which you can see from pretty much everywhere, being as it towers up to 5,600 meters (18,360 feet) over the valley.

We were amazed at how long it took to hike up from 4506 meters to 4680 meters (the upper terminus of where silly tourists like us can go): two hours! But frankly it was worth it. We definitely had some oxygen and pressure issues – Doug on the way up, and me on the way down - we ate tons of food that night, and the cost was ridiculous for China (RMB 220 per person), but for the first time in my life I understand why there is an urge to climb mountains. The quiet and hugeness of it all was breathtaking (or maybe that was the lack of oxygen?). But in the end I can say I was at 15,354 feet…

One final note on Lijiang before I close out the China portion of the blog. A lot of places in the world have become replicas of themselves and many people have consistently argued that globalization creates homogenization of cultures and the loss of tradition and history amongst indigenous cultures and minority peoples. While not an opponent of globalization by any means, I have always been somewhat conflicted about the tradeoffs between significant increases in quality of life and health and life expectancy, and the loss of traditional values and entire cultures to the advent of “modern” life. In Lijiang we encountered something truly surprising. When all the annoying tour groups were gone from the streets and the tourist shops began closing their doors, something amazing happened in the central square every night. Young local people began converging in the square to dance and socialize. One evening we even saw an adorable old woman with an ecstatic smile on her face dancing circles around the younger women and men, teaching by example the joy she had for her traditions and culture. I took a short video, which doesn’t begin to capture the experience, but gives you a taste of the music, singing, and ritual to it all.

And so, I leave you with that for now...

Saunas in Hotel Rooms?

2007-12-27T14:52:00.000-05:00

A lot has been done since last I posted from China. Three cities, a plane ride, a five hour bus ride, another 4 hour car ride, and a 30 minute gondola ride to a glacier. Oh, and I even made it back home. But here’s the first part of the story…

Kunming

We got to Kunming, Yunnan Province without incident, despite the fact that up until the moment we got on the plane we weren’t sure if our tickets were valid. Our flight was canceled twice on two different days, and then we got moved to another airline…it was all very interesting, but taught the valuable lesson to check on your flights in China. We arrived in Kunming to very clean air, and checked into our hotel room at the Greenland Hotel, only to find that apparently our room came retrofitted with a personal sauna. Seriously, it was in the corner of the room and had a tape player in which you could pipe in Tchaikovsky while taking a sauna. Doug took a picture lest no one believe us:

The next morning we got on a bus to head off to Dali. The pollution was so bad heading out of the city that you could see whole valleys disappear into hazes of smoke and toxic fumes. I was happy we were only passing through those areas. It is hard to believe that people live their whole lives in places so polluted that I can’t take a deep breath, and that in the 21^st Century it is getting worse rather than better. In valley after valley we saw houses right next to toxic smelting plants and industrial wastelands. I wonder sometimes how people live past the age of 3 in these places. I’ve seen locations like this when working, especially in the coal areas of Ningxia, but I still find it hard to believe that it happens. Fortunately, we are able to leave it all behind and keep going. I only wish something could give me hope that the situation will get better for the people left in those valleys…

Dali

Doug and I have decided we’re not sure what we think of Dali. Our hotel, Jim’s Tibetan Hotel (http://www.china-travel.nl/english/guesthouse.htm), was FREEZING. I mean, the temperature outside was in the 60s, but inside our room it was about 50. Oh, and the water was heated by solar panel, so the 2^nd day we didn’t have hot water…I am apparently a soft westerner because an icy cold shower in 50 degree temperatures is not my idea of fun.

However, the town had some very interesting aspects as well. Not the least of which is it appears to be heaven for anyone who wants to drop off the face of the earth and just hang out. There also seemed to be a large proportion of the westerners interested in…let’s just say alternative lifestyles…Like all small Chinese towns, it truly seemed like a different world, as if you stepped back in time a century or two into a place where buildings were made out of mudbrick and grey tiles with shops wares spread out for all to see:

On our second day in Dali we headed off to Cangshan to hike in the mountains. It was lovely to get out of the noise and craziness of most of China and up into the hills. We had a good 13km walk along a paved trail (there isn’t much in China that’s left to wilderness or even good old hiking trails), weaving in and out of mountain valleys where we didn’t see another soul for hours. I realized that it was the first time in a couple of months that I was surrounded by a completely peaceful environment. In all, a lovely place to be.

The last day in Dali I was pretty sick, so didn't do much more than relax and drink water. And then we headed out to Lijiang...

Bad Blogger...Bad Blogger

2007-12-24T15:59:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I abdicated my responsibility to keep my posts updated through travels. When it took 20 minutes to upload 1 picture thanks to bad Chinese internet connections in Yunnan, I decided I would wait until I got back to Beijing. But due to some drama in the 2 days leaving Yunnan and leaving China, I didn't get to it.

So in short, Doug and I are back home in Washington, DC as of last night.

However, I still plan on updating about Yunnan (positives and negatives both) in the next couple of days, so if you want to hear about it check back...

Merry Christmas or Hannukah or Kawanza or whatever other holiday I'm forgetting!

Hotpot, Beer Fish, and Karst Scenery

2007-12-13T03:34:00.000-05:00

Beijing:

So despite the fact that most people can’t remember a time that the international flights from the U.S. into Beijing were late, Doug’s flight came in 4 hours late on December 9^th. As a result we only had one day to relax and hang out in Beijing before leaving for our planned travel. We had some cool dumb luck that it happened to be the first snow of the year that day, so we wandered about Houhai Lake for most of the morning around all the Hutongs (old courtyard house areas built ages ago). I took some great pictures of the iced over lake and snow everywhere, but as those are on the 35mm camera, can’t post them here.

Doug also had his first taste of really good hotpot. For those of you who’ve never had it, hot pot is a boiling pot of a broth (oil, white, spicy red, or two or more types, etc.), into which you dump a variety of meat and veggies and cook yourself then dip in yummy sauces (my personal favorite is the sesame). I’m convinced that I need to find a great recipe for hotpot and open a chain of restaurants in the states…it’s one of the best foods ever for a cold day/night.

Guilin (http://wikitravel.org/en/Guilin):

On Tuesday we took off for Guilin, Guanxi Province. Guilin is supposed to be beautiful with a lot of parks, karst peaks, etc. However, we landed in a haze of smoke from them burning off the rice after the harvest, and frankly the city was overrun by businesses catering to tourists, and prices were ridiculous. We did manage to find some excellent Pijiu Yu (Beer Fish), a local specialty, and it was absolutely delicious, eaten in a restaurant where we were the only white people.

But in the end we were very happy to hop in a car and head down to Yangshuo at 9am on Wednesday morning.

Yangshuo (http://wikitravel.org/en/Yangshuo):

We arrived in Yangshuo through a cool car drive out of the haze and into the mist. We had wanted to take the boat ride down the Li River, which is apparently THE thing to do, but the river is exceptionally low right now, and no boats can get through, as you can see here:

We got dropped at our hotel, the Magnolia Hotel, a real splurge in town at RMB 220/night (http://www.yangshuoren.com/magnolia_en.htm). Then we proceeded to find a great dumpling place, Dynasty of Dumplings, right around the corner for some yummy food. Then we managed to rent a couple of nice bikes from the folks next door to the hotel (no deposit necessary since we were staying at the hotel) and got out of town.

We rode down the road, fighting trucks and tour buses, out to Yueliang Shan (Moon Hill). It was quite the hike uphill on about a million stairs…I swear…there were a million. But I have to say, despite the panting and pain in my mildly sprained hamstring (from my Badminton match with my tutor), it was more than worth it. Here are a couple of pictures from the top:

We could have done more, but frankly we were more interested in finding a place to stop and relax over a beer than anything else, so we parked ourselves on the main drag and had a beer:

That night we found ourselves at an expat-friendly resto-bar called Kelly’s Café. I broke down and had some good ol’ American food cause I couldn’t help myself. We woke up this morning to much colder, but much clearer weather. We were pretty sore from our hike yesterday, so we rented the bikes again and decided to head out to the Yulong River on side country roads. We ended up getting sidetracked to take a bamboo raft upriver as far as we could go before it dried out. It was gorgeous, practically uninhabited, and perfectly silent, a rarity in China to say the least. I could say more but I think the pictures from our bike ride and boat ride speak for themselves:

We have enjoyed Yangshuo greatly, I think largely because we came on off-season and there were practically no tourists in town. I can only imagine how crazy it gets here in the summer, and much of what we loved would be crowded with people, taking away from the relaxation we’ve had here.

Tomorrow we head off to Kunming, and Saturday we have a 5-hour bus ride from Kunming to Dali in Yunnan Province...

Last Night At the Family, Hello Luxury Hotel!

2007-12-06T09:38:00.000-05:00

Hey folks. So tonight’s the last night I’m spending with the family, and tomorrow I go to check into the Westin for some R&R before Doug gets here. Thought I’d post some sort of summary of what’s past and what’s next.

Thoughts on the Experience:

Well, in the end I think I found out I was a bit less flexible than I thought in my lifestyle and my ability to drop my own ideas when faced with something different. One never wants to find out you are less tolerant and open-minded than you thought, but I guess it’s a good learning experience to know where your boundaries are.

For anyone who wants a crash-course in learning a foreign language, I would definitely suggest going to the country and living with a family that doesn’t speak English. It’s amazing how much the mind can learn if it doesn’t have a choice if it wants to eat or know where it can get water!

I missed home more than I expected, but also made some great friends. All my tutors have been especially great to get to know. The badminton match (see prior post) was brutal on my muscles but lots of fun. Whether or not I actually want to return to this house, they have been more than kind and have repeatedly told me that this is my house too now and anytime I’m back in China I must come see them. I knew from prior experiences that people in China are hospitable to a fault, and now I’ve experienced it in its largest form. Don’t underestimate the persistence of the head of households in China!

What’s Next?:

Doug and I are off to Guilin, Yangshuo, Dali, and Lijiang next week. From everything I hear they are beautiful places, and I’m looking forward to seeing something new. I will likely bring the computer on the trip so will probably post from there. Doug and I wanted to go to Dali ten years ago when we were students in China but didn’t have enough time to get there by train and back. This time we’re flying, so should be a little bit shorter.

Tomorrow this time I'll be out with friends in Beijing, celebrating the fact that I've at least managed to stick it out and learn what I can in the time I allotted myself. Only time will tell if it's worth it, but at this moment I can truly say I accomplished something.

Wow That Went Fast….Or Did It?

2007-11-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a fun Turkey-Day. I had a blast myself. New favorite tradition: after you gorge yourself on a million different types of food til you can’t stand up, go get a Chinese foot massage! On Thanksgiving seven of us did that and it was marvelous. I basked in the hospitality of friends of friends, and ate more food than I have in months. It was loads of fun. The next day I headed off to Shanghai bright and early. Had a lovely time chilling and sleeping and eating. Went to the plant and animal market and took this picture of crickets and locusts…apparently people use them as pets…

Oh, and then I saw this and couldn’t resist posting – have you ever seen so many ducks lined up at one time?

When you’ve been doing something for a limited period of time that is very challenging, it is inevitable that at some point you begin the countdown to the last time you do X, or the last time you do Y. Guess by going to Shanghai I inadvertently set off my own personal countdown clock. Not til I leave China, but until I move out of someone else’s house and go out on my own again…oh, and did I mention my husband’s coming? J Hopefully the time will go fast…just 9 days until I leave the program and head out on my own, and Doug shows up in 11 days.

Tomorrow I go talk to the people at Lotus to give them feedback on my experience and let them know what I think they could do better. So I decided yesterday that I should look back on my time here and figure out what I accomplished, what I could have done better, and whether I met my goals or at least did what I could given the existing circumstances. All in all I think I did well. However, I think the more I’ve learned the more I realize how far I truly have to go to be at a level that I would like to be. I really need a year here to get my language up to par. We’ll see how things play out in the next couple of months as to whether I come back or not in the Spring and set myself to learn more and make more progress.

Well tomorrow I play badminton with my tutor. I expect she'll wipe the floor with me.

Thanksgiving Cometh

2007-11-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

I thought it was my duty as a good American to comment on the fact that Thanksgiving is coming. I’m finding it very interesting that no one here seems to have ever heard of the holiday. They’ve all heard of Christmas (the commercialism and consumerism of that holiday seems to have found its way into the hearts of Chinese merchants everywhere), but no one has the foggiest idea what Thanksgiving is. For some reason I find that intriguing. In the end, it’s probably the most celebrated holiday in the U.S., and yet a huge portion of the world’s population doesn’t even know about it. What does that say about our new “world is flat” idea? What holidays do we know nothing about in other countries? How can we ever truly understand another culture if we don’t understand what they celebrate and why?

Ok, I’m not saying most Americans even know what Thanksgiving really signifies other than a big feast with family and friends, not even sure I really do, but at least I know in theory. And I think it is a big part of our culture that we choose to go to crazy lengths through hellish airports and roads to find our families and friends to celebrate by eating a big tasteless bird, gorging ourselves on countless delicious side-dishes, and napping it all off afterwards while staring mindlessly at parades and football. It’s a way to bond with our families that we don’t see very much due to our hectic lives, and a way to force ourselves to stop and give thanks for all that we have amongst the craziness of our lives. The question then becomes, what defines other country’s holidays that we don’t know about?

In true American fashion, I will be taking to the roads/skies this weekend to find some form of comfort and familiarity that is associated with Thanksgiving. Tonight I blow this joint after tutoring and head over to a friend’s house to sleep. Sleep – what a wonderful thing. Then tomorrow I will be gorging myself on good ol’American food thanks to the hospitality of friends of friends, and hanging out doing good ol’American things for the first time in a couple of months. Then Friday morning I head out to Shanghai, again thanks to the hospitality of some lovely people. I’m going to spend a luxurious weekend in Shanghai getting clean, eating excellent food, shopping (only window shopping Doug, don’t worry!), and relaxing. Hopefully I’ll come back recharged and ready for my lasts two weeks!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Blog Spamming

2007-11-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

So I have just had to remove a spammer’s comment from my prior post. Someone plugging his/her Chinese wine business. So not cool.

As a result I’ve had to initiate a comment moderation protocol. So your comments may not appear quickly on my blog, as I’m 11hours ahead of most of you. However, I’m hoping this will enable me to actually SEE your comments, since they’ll be emailed to me before they go up on the blog. You see, I can’t actually get to my own blog from China as it has been blocked by the sensors, so Doug’s been sending me your comments as they appear. Fortunately (so far) posting has not been blocked.

Be warned spammers: you will not survive! I will conquer!

Chinese Wine…He Bu He? (To Drink or Not To Drink?)

2007-11-16T07:30:00.001-05:00

So I thought I’d do a little cultural experiment today. I do like wine very much, especially good wine. Good wine is particularly difficult to come by in my little corner of Beijing. However, today I was at the ChaoShiFa (a supermarket chain here) buying Gatorade for the little girl in the house who’s had the stomach flu for 3 days now (family didn’t seem to know about Gatorade and they couldn’t get the kid to drink anything – poor thing’s screaming was breaking my heart). I stumbled upon a huge display of “Great Wall Wines.” Firstly I thought it was amusing that all the labels were in English, and secondly I thought it was hilarious that they were proudly labeling themselves as the official wine of the 2008 Olympic Games. So of course…I had to buy a bottle right?

I know what a lot of you are thinking…this can’t turn out well…especially with that lead-in.

Ok, so while on Skype with Doug, I mentioned that I bought it, and of course then we both start doing searches for anything about the 2003 Great Wall Cabernet Sauvignon. The only thing I could find was this article from Vancouver Magazine about obscure wines: http://www.vanmag.com/foodanddrink/07oct/Drink.shtml. Before I tell you about the review, and before you go and read the review, let me tell you what my tastebuds said.

The nose is definitely unique, I’d say heavy plum with an underpinning of coal (or maybe my nostrils are just coated with coal dust from living in Beijing). There’s also a very strong tannin component that comes through as it opens up. For the taste, I’m not sure I can describe it….a very off Merlot? Or maybe a corked Cab? Heavy tannin with a subtle shag-carpet finish. I know…I know…I’m being pretty harsh. But really, not sure what they were trying to accomplish with this wine. It doesn’t taste like any Cab I’ve ever had, but then again, it’s not as bad as that RMB 20 bottle I bought in some town somewhere at my old job. I think they were going for a moderate fruit with some oak or pine finish, but didn’t really accomplish it. The balance is off…way off. So apparently I agree with the reviewer at the Vancouver Magazine – a Tsing Tao is better with food!

Et voila! My experiment with Chinese wine is accomplished…though I do think that to give it a fair shake I should probably sample a few more, but next time I might just try a glass instead of being stuck with a bottle…

Answer to initial question: 2003 Great Wall Cab: Bu He! (don't drink!)

Because that Last Post Was Depressing…

2007-11-11T21:32:00.000-05:00

Ok…so I read back over the last post and other than the whole travel discussion I realized it sounded pretty darn depressing. Guess I was in a weird mood due to the fact that last week was a pretty odd week, what with switching tutors, not having any set schedule, kid in the house is sick (i.e., not sleeping so well), and it was hump-week for the trip. As a result I thought I’d post something a little more normal and less dull.

The Learning:

Today begins my new tutoring schedule. I have two tutors that are friends from college and both are teachers at reputable colleges in Beijing. In fact, the newer tutor, Zhang Laoshi (laoshi = teacher in Chinese), is a teacher at UIBE, where Doug and I studied 10 years ago…when we both realized that it was pretty funny.

From now on, my weekends will be Friday-Saturday, and the rest of the days I’ll have tutoring from 1-7pm, one chapter a day. I started adding it up recently when I saw the huge pile of flashcards on my window-sill, and realized I’ve probably learned 700+ words in the last month (or had the opportunity to learn…not saying I know all of them yet), not the characters, but the words. I’ve started trying to learn the characters, or at least learn to recognize them if not write them. It’s pretty daunting. I also realized that I’ve gone through the equivalent of a year and a half of Chinese in the last month, and by the end I will have studied the equivalent of two years (if you measure these things by the number of books you finish). Pretty crazy when you add it all up.

The Seeing Things:

Yesterday the Lotus program invited all of its current students to visit Yonghegong, the largest Lama Temple outside Tibet. About six students showed up. A few of the other students couldn’t make it due to being sick…it’s that time of year you know. We spent a few hours there with the folks from Lotus teaching us about Buddhism and how it fits into Chinese culture and history. It was pretty fun. I don’t have any pictures right now because I took my good 35mm camera instead of my digital. I may post some pictures later if Lotus sends them. It was great to be there early morning before the boatloads of tourists showed up. Still relatively touristy, and I would definitely rather go to a quieter temple, but it is definitely beautiful nevertheless.

After the temple they took us to the most famous vegetarian restaurant in Beijing, Yu Xiang Zhai, which is around the corner from Yonghegong and across the street from the Confucian Temple. I guess they specialize in making vegetarian food that looks and tastes like the meat equivalent. I had Lazi Ji (a chicken dish) and pepper steak, that looked and tasted remarkably like the real thing. Oh, and it was a buffet so we all gorged ourselves – it’s probably the most food I’ve eaten since I came here.

In short, it was nice to get out and see something fun and socialize with people I can communicate with, and hopefully my tutoring will continue to get better. I’ve learned quite a bit, and since folks keep telling me to remember that when I got here I spoke very little and look how much progress I have made, I spent some time reflecting on that this morning. I guess if I make the same relative progress over the next month I will have accomplished something pretty cool. Unfortunately, when you start counting down (as I kind of am at this point…really looking forward to the travel and seeing Doug after all), I think you lose some of the drive. But I’m going to try and stay focused and learn as much as possible in the time allotted and see where it takes me.

See! I can have a positive post once in a while! :-)

11/12: Update: Here are some pictures that lotus sent me...I can't believe how ridiculous I look!

A Post Just Cause I Thought I Should Post

2007-11-09T06:28:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I haven’t been all that good at this blog thing. Guess I’ve been spending a lot of time studying and haven’t really DONE much.

I’ve had my weird tutor issues (I now have 2 tutors, neither of which is the tutor I began with), and the aforementioned house issues. But in the end I haven’t had much chance to experience Beijing, really. I live pretty far out in the ‘burbs, so it really feels like an epic journey to get into town. With Beijing traffic, a cab ride into interesting places will often take an hour, and the bus ride to the nearest subway station is 40 minutes.

A lot of people have been telling me to just get out of the house every day, but sometimes it just feels like such an effort, since a large part of the day I need to be studying. At least at the house I know what I’m in for, and in the end China is just so darn loud (ok…my home here isn’t exactly quiet with the baby either, but there’s always headphones!)…I never thought of myself as someone who really wanted a lot of quiet, but there it is. Must be the lack of sleep or structure or activity getting to me. For those of you who know me well, you know I very much like to DO things. With notable exceptions, I tend to gravitate towards activity and progress towards something. Whereas here, I know in theory I have a goal (i.e., learn as much Chinese as possible, which is, I hope, going decently well despite the turnover in tutors), but that is a bit nebulous in the end.

Oh, and for those of you who were curious about my travel plans after the tutoring/homestay program is over, Doug and I have made our decisions. Yes, Doug is coming out on December 9^th (YAY!), for his first trip back to China in 10 years and staying until December 23^rd, at which point we’ll both head back to Washington, DC. I’m looking forward to showing him how it’s changed. But I digress…we’ve decided to forego Xixuangbanna, a location I mentioned to many of you before I left (after about 1 week of going back and forth repeatedly on the idea). We realized that if we wanted to do it right, we would need to spend both of our two weeks there to do it right, and both of us agreed that Dali and Lijiang were must-sees, if for no other reason than we always wanted to go to Dali 10 years ago and didn’t have the time. So as a result we’re going to visit Guilin, Yangshuo, Dali, and Lijiang. We bought our plane tickets today, so it’s all set and we can’t change our minds again! J

Oh, and just cause I thought I should prove I’m actually in Beijing, here’s a picture taken by Erin today at Tiantan (The Temple of Heaven)…and my hair is standing up because of the wind…not some new-fangled hairstyle!

Sorry about the somewhat boring and disjointed post, but guess I’m just in a funk today. Maybe hitting the half-way mark has thrown my mental state for a loop…more fun next time I promise!

Modern Beijing

2007-11-03T11:09:00.001-04:00

Despite all the talk in the West about how much China has changed in the last 10-15 years, it’s difficult to truly fathom how much change has truly occurred. The pace of change is truly remarkable, and I guess you could say I have seen it first-hand, which sometimes I find hard to believe. I never guessed that I would watch a country change so much in such a short time.

I first came to Beijing China in 1997, as part of the Carleton Beijing Program. At the time, there were still more bicycles than cars, you regularly saw mule/horse-drawn carts on major streets, and the fourth-ring road (Si Huan Lu) was not built yet. The colors I remember from that time are mostly grey and brown, broken only on rainy days when all of the bicyclists in Beijing would magically break out these neon-colored rain tarps to ride down the street. We lived on the outskirts of Beijing, north of the third-ring road (San Huan Lu) and could see farmland from our windows at the University of International Business and Economics. There was a large dirt track north of us that we heard might become a new ring road. We ate at mom and pop places in holes-in-the-wall locations, and when we heard that the first Dunkin’ Doughnuts was opening in Beijing probably ten of our group went on an epic bus and walking trek downtown to taste the first coffee we had had in 2 months.

Now things have changed. I came back to Beijing about six years later, in August 2003, right after SARS shut the whole country down for several months. I was here for two weeks, and must have visited every park within walking distance of the St. Regis hotel on Jianguomen Dajie. And I walked it all, seeing the differences everywhere and becoming astonished at what change had wrought in six years.

I have been coming back 2-3 times a year ever since. I have seen streets that existed disappear, buildings spring up into huge towers, and whole neighborhoods leveled for shopping malls and apartment towers. Huge hutong neighborhoods (one story courtyard house groups built in the Chinese imperial era) have either been leveled or “restored” to two-story lavish homes or boutique hotels north of the Forbidden City. There’s now a Starbucks pretty much everywhere. The fourth and fifth ring roads have been built, and I’m currently living in a 20-story apartment building surrounded by other such buildings and hotels between the third and fourth ring roads close to the Summer Palace. As I recall, 10 years ago the Summer Palace was basically in the countryside.

I wish I had electronic copies of the pictures I took 10 years ago for a true comparison, somehow I think even I would be astonished to compare them to what I see every day here. The contrast truly hit me this evening when I went out to have Indian food with some friends at a place that they jokingly called the Arlington Commons of Beijing. There was a Zara, a Starbucks, a Guess store, an international food court…and oh yes, the biggest darn TV screen I’ve ever seen:

Oh, and 10 years ago some of us went to a nightclub called the “PLA Club,” which yes, did stand for the People’s Liberation Army. Western women got in free, and there were cage dancers. This is what the location looks like now:

In the end I don’t know what all of this means. I think I just needed to get it all down on paper (or the internet I guess) how remarkable the changes I’ve seen really are. In the end I feel privileged to have seen such rapid change in a city that I truly find fascinating in all its aspects, and am impressed at how quickly the standard of living has rocketed skyward here. However, there is a sort of sadness for the type of life that has been lost: the slow methodical pace of riding a bike down the large, crowded, bike lanes of Beijing (no one ever went faster than anyone else you see…), has been replaced by millions of cars, taxis, and tour buses. But in the end, who can ever truly say whether such massive changes are ultimately good or bad…only history can tell, and 30 years from now when I read that history book, I can say I was here to see it happen, which is astounding and humbling all at the same time.

A New Tutor and A Bus Trip in Beijing

2007-10-30T08:27:00.001-04:00

So since we last spoke I’ve not done much of note. I’m starting to get used to living here. It’s never going to get better (i.e., diapers are no where to be found, and it ain’t ever gonna be clean), but I’ve begun to get used to it. It’s really the shower situation that has me most uncomfortable, but I’ve sworn to think of it as one long camping trip! The little girl is cute, but unfortunately screams a lot all the time. And when she screams they give her what she wants, so me thinks it’s not going to change any time soon.

One weird thing I’ve noticed here is that no one introduces themselves. I moved into the house and I still don’t know the name of the Ayi or the baby. Three days ago the mom finally told me her name was Yuan. That was apparently a huge breakthrough. I’ve also met Yuan’s younger brother, his wife, and their daughter and had dinner at their house last night, and no one introduced themselves there either. I just find that very odd. I guess since they know who I am they don’t think they have to introduce themselves? Who knows…

I have a new tutor as well. My old tutor is still my morning tutor, but now I have a new tutor for the afternoons who is a teacher, and I suddenly find myself much less frustrated with the way things are going. It’s amazing what having a teacher that actually knows how to teach and organize a lesson will do for your ability to learn. Of course the lion’s share of the work is still in my ballpark, as I have to try and remember all those darn words and grammatical structures, but it’s a huge start towards feeling like I can actually make some progress in the next 5 ½ weeks.

Bus Trip:

Ok, so in the United States when you take a bus, even if it’s crowded (i.e., the Orange Line during rush hour when it’s raining) there’s still some sort of awareness of feeling awkward about being pressed up against other people. Most folks will try and gain a little bit of personal space if possible even in the crush. In China, not so much. Today on the way back from my tutoring up at the Beijing Language and Culture University it was rush hour in Beijing. You think a couple of million people make for a crazy rush hour…try 12 million. I got on this bus that was already packed, and thought I’d be the last one on because I couldn’t see how anyone else would fit…boy was I wrong wrong wrong. About 7 more people got on behind me, some of whom blocked the doors from closing, so the bus started driving and people were hanging out the doors. Then there was the argument between the money-taker and one of the passengers…she got thrown off at the next stop, when about 4 more people got on. I guess riding in a bus in Beijing during rush hour defines what it means to feel like a sardine. Couldn’t move an inch of my body. When I finally got out I had to push people out of the door to do it…guess I don’t have to worry about seeming rude!

Perspectives on Homelife in China vs. U.S.

2007-10-21T07:12:00.000-04:00

As you can see in the post below, I’m having to come to terms with the fact that as a 30-something, I’m apparently much more close-minded and much less adaptable than I was as a 20-something. I sincerely did freak out about my situation for about 2-3 days. I’m still concerned about my ability to stick it out.

When I decided to come here and do a homestay, I sincerely thought I knew what I was getting into (I’ve been to Chinese homes of various types over the years). While I recognized it would be difficult, I don’t think I realized that knowing in theory about how we in the United States live versus how Chinese families live, and actually living in it, would be such a crisis-inducing experience for me. I did some nutty things in college while in China and lived in some pretty god-awful places both in China and of all places the Netherlands. Therefore I thought – hey…I did it then, I can do it now. But I guess at that point we are all relatively malleable when it comes to our living conditions, and we do things for the adventure of it all.

Somewhere along the line, I think I got used to the comforts and stability of my own home. We come to expect a level of privacy in the U.S. that doesn’t exist here. We also have a perception of cleanliness that borders on the neurotic, but nevertheless I think it forms our thoughts and opinions of other homes and our ability to feel comfortable in places less clean. And don’t get me started on the sanitary conditions of our food in China vs. US…that’s a whole different ballgame.

I think in the end this experience will be good for me if I can manage to stay healthy and stick it out. Although I don’t really think I’ll ever be comfortable here, it will have served to expose my own shortcomings and prejudices about my own life and the lives we all lead.

I guess in the end that's the point of a cultural exchange...

New Homestay Update

2007-10-21T07:01:00.000-04:00

I needed to wait until today to write this so that I could calm down a bit before I made everyone think I was about to jump off a bridge or pack it in and come home (only Doug was subjected to those two days).

As you can see from the pictures posted below, this is a very interesting environment I’ve found myself in. But in the end they are very nice people, and happy to have me here, and have shown me nothing but hospitality.

Here’s the full deal:

This was supposed to be a 31-year old couple. I see no sign of the husband whatsoever, nor have I seen any sign that a man lives here even part time (no male clothing or shoes, etc.). Instead there’s the mom, a live-in Ayi (literally “Aunt” but generally used to refer to a nanny), and the 1 year old.

When I arrived, I realized that, consistent with many parents in China, the mom has the baby in split pants (i.e., no diapers). Within 30 minutes of being on the premises, the baby, which is not potty-trained, came jogging into my room….well you can fill in the blank with that one. Needless to say it contributed to my complete freak-out about my situation.

Oh, and did you see the picture of the bathroom? Yes, to the left of the Chinese squat-toilet (which I share with the Ayi and the baby – the mom has her own bathroom that has a western toilet, but in order to use it I’d have to go through her bedroom) is the shower. There’s a drain on the floor.

No one in the house but me speaks any English at all (the mom speaks a few words but that’s it.

The last few days have been exceedingly difficult mentally, but fortunately two different friends here in Beijing offered up their respective homes to me for Saturday night. It gave me a enough of a break from all the adjustments that I was able to come back here Sunday afternoon and get some perspective.

Weird Key Obsession Leading to Moves

2007-10-17T06:57:00.000-04:00

So I’m in a very odd situation right now, and will be leaving my cushy suburban home for a new place.

My host family (Bai and Liu) lives in a locked building on the 8^th floor. When I arrived there was no mention of how I would get in and out of the building. By the 2^nd day I came to the realization that no key was forthcoming. I asked about it. They said they didn’t have one for me. Due to the language barrier, I couldn’t explain that as a 30-something year old woman, I was not accustomed to the idea that I would have to have mom and dad buzz me in when I wanted to go anywhere, and who knows if they would be here when I came back?

Then an additional complication arose, that my tutor is actually a graduate student at Beijing Normal University and therefore does not have an office. So we’re needing to do our sessions (6-hours a day mind you…more on that later) in the apartment otherwise we’re banished to the nearest kafeiguan (coffee shop). The family definitely didn’t like that. They said we couldn’t have our sessions here because they were too busy and wouldn’t be around all the time, and without a key they would have to be around.

So we told Lotus Study (https://www.lotusstudy.com) about the situation to see if we could resolve it (i.e., get me a key so I wasn’t a prisoner in their home and so I had a place to do my tutoring). In the end they wouldn’t give me a key or agree to let me have my tutoring sessions here, even knowing that it would necessitate me leaving (I mean hello? I’m 30+ and if I’m living with you presumably you’d give me a key). From conversations I had, I get the impression that they might have been willing to give me a key, but they don’t trust my tutor (which is weird no?).

As a result, I will be leaving these nice people in their very clean apartment (anyone who’s been to China can tell you how rare that is) tomorrow morning and moving in with a young couple with a 1-year old child. Frankly I really liked these folks – they were very kind and very happy people – and am in a lot of ways sad to go.

Here’s the good and the bad:

Good: new family isn’t in the boonies, they’re 10 minutes closer to the center of town, making transport much easier, and I shouldn’t have any problem getting a darn key to not feel like I’m in elementary school again

Bad: I have to adjust again to something entirely new and get to know new people once again, oh, and let’s pray the 1-year old isn’t a screamer.

Adjustments

2007-10-15T07:42:00.001-04:00

I have officially arrived at my homestay with the family. Got in around 12pm on Sunday afternoon. I think I would have been better prepared for this kind of experience as a student, but as an adult it is going to be quite the adjustment. They seem like very nice folks, and I will probably end up liking them very much once I can communicate better with them, but at the moment I feel seriously like a fish out of water.

They have apparently kicked their daughter out of her room for me (she’s sleeping on a cot in the study), which in of itself is making me quite uncomfortable, but then the daughter is quite the phantom. I can’t imagine being 15years old and going to lessons on Sunday until 9:00 PM then leaving the next morning at 6:30AM for school. Craziness!

I also feel bad because I’m not apparently eating enough for them and I get the sense that they feel like I don’t like what they’re feeding me. Unfortunately it’s not the problem. I’m just seriously not hungry. It’s probably the nerves from the hugeness of what I’ve done here (do I really have 8 more weeks of this????), and living entirely outside my element.

I’m going to try and get the family together and take a picture for the blog this evening…hopefully they’ll be amenable J

The serious studying started today as my tutor arrived at 9:00 AM to pick me up...less time for reading now and the work begins!

Here's the picture of my room and family:

I'm Here

2007-10-12T05:32:00.001-04:00

Well I arrived safe and sound, with the added perk of a free upgrade to business class. Guess they oversold the flight and status has its privileges.

Right now I'm concentrating on staying conscious...jet lag hitting me hard this time, probably cause I've got no where I have to be.

Funny story from the road:

I get into the cab at the Beijing airport, and he has the radio on. It took me a few minutes in my just-got-off-the-plane haze to realize he was listening to Italian Opera. Maybe it's just me but I found that oddly hilarious.

The Countdown Begins

2007-10-08T11:23:00.000-04:00

Today's the day after my goodbye party, and the reality of leaving is beginning to sink in.

My visa is obtained, the list of things to bring is finished, I know who my host family is, and I'm going to see today if I over-estimated the amount of space in my luggage.

People keep asking me if I'm excited. I don't really know if I am at this point because there's a kind of unreality to the idea that I'm leaving my home, my husband, and everything I've grown accustomed to for three months. Many have said they think what I'm doing is brave, but I'm not sure that is entirely accurate, as I'm pretty much scared stiff of what I'm jumping into. Having the comfort of knowing that I have friends in Beijing is making it more tolerable, and knowing that Doug (the husband) will be joining me in December is also a boon. But I'm terrified that I won't be able to accomplish what I've set out to do (i.e., learn enough additional Mandarin to be useful to an employer, then find a job where I can use it), not to mention having to live by someone else's rules for the first time since I was 18 years old. I suppose all these fears are normal, and once I land in China I will be so immersed in what I am doing that I probably won't have time to think about any of this (or at least I hope so!!!).

Today I pack and try and get some last minute errands completed...Next time I post will be from Beijing.

The Planning...

2007-09-18T15:34:00.000-04:00

One never realizes how daunting the planning is to pick up your life and leave for a while until one attempts it. I'm coming to the scary realization that I have a million things to do and only 2 and a half weeks to accomplish all of it. I guess that's what I get for going on vacation for a week less than a month before I leave the country! (I'll post some info and pictures from our trip shortly)

This week is my last week of work, and there are 26 signatures to be gotten before the week is out from various offices at the DOC, proving I haven't stolen a computer or library book in the nearly six years there. It is truly amazing to me how difficult it is to quit a federal job! And unfortunately I'm stuck at home today with a nasty cold.

I still have to get my Chinese visa, and haven't received any information as of yet on my host family, but I'm really starting to get excited/scared all at once for the adventure. I've started realizing the big bite I've decided to take out of life, and am just hoping that I'm up to the challenge.

Next question for me: do I pack up a good portion of my things here in DC in case the move to San Francisco happens before I get back or would that be jinxing things? sigh...so many decisions...

Hi Everyone

2007-09-07T22:01:00.000-04:00

Well, since I'm going to be "untethered" for the next 3 months, I thought I'd start a blog to keep people up to date on happenings, etc.

Notes on what's happening:

I quit my job this week: thought it would scare the bejesus out of me, but turns out it just made me really happy! (for those of you who know me well, I have a long and nefarious history with my doomed job at the Department of Commerce, which is a story for another day).
I'm getting ready for my stint at the homestay immersion program in Beijing China. As many folks know, I have a long fascination with China, beginning with my Junior year of college, when I went on the Carleton Beijing program (http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/beijing/). Roy Grow has a way with making you fall in love with China...and once it's in your blood it's very difficult to purge the obsession. So, I'll be living in Beijing for 2 months. Bought a one-way ticket today.

So that's the long and short of it. From time to time I'll update the blog, hopefully upload some pictures, and in general use it as a lazy way of keeping in touch with friends while I'm immersed in China.

I'm imagining my first posts from China now - briefing all of you on the tasty goodness of Chinese food (yummy jiaozi - boiled dumplings not to be confused with the run-of-the-mill potstickers - is all I can think of right now).

So...welcome to my silly blog!