Wo yao caiden.

The program that is responsible for sending me to China has turned into an email-avoiding nightmare, almost over night. Long story short: a handful of us were told the second day we got into Chengdu that our visas are incorrect, and we must apply and pay for a new permit, all within four days, or suffer the consequences. The study abroad company dropped the ball and is refusing to make amends, or even admit to being in the wrong. 

Despite this, life goes on. Really, in China, one has no choice but to move forward. Upward, onward, newer, bigger, faster, flashier...China is constantly bursting at the seams. Even as centuries-old foundation crumbles, buildings are added on to, made "more appealing" to the consumer nation. This is as visually enticing as it is cringe-worthy.

I may have mentioned this in my last post, but Chengdu has this fascinating way of mixing nature and urban-development that I just can't get over. Roots push sidewalk tiles into warped patterns; vines replace paint on the sides of impossibly tall apartment complexes...there is very little conflict of elements in this wonderful city. Perhaps this is an ode to the Buddhist/Taoist principles that remain at the fingertips of modern Chinese, or maybe it is simply a yielding of struggle against time. Because even the fast-paced and forward-reaching Chinese proprietors know that we must all respect what is older and wiser. 

Regardless, I think am getting used to this. 



Yesterday for dinner, Anthony and I set out in search of something spicy and flavorful...and plentiful. We stumbled across a barbecue place that seemed promising. It was full of locals, both young adults ready for a summer night out and business workers dressed surprisingly formally for the heat. [ I just can't seem to adjust to this thick layer of smog and warm wetness that covers the city every day. Give me a few more weeks.] We managed, somehow, to order delicious spicy pork, potatoes, peppers, and ham-fried rice. Dinner for the two of us, including the popular Tsingtao, was roughly $5 American.

  The waitress/owner[?] was pleased when we told her, in Chinese, how delicious the food was. I can really only imagine how frustrating it must be for some wait-staff when foreigners come into their restaurants. Usually, they make very little effort in trying to order in Chinese. Not that I need to sound so high-and-mighty here; I am far from competent. Usually, I just end up making a lot of hand gestures and using very short, basic sentences, such as "niurou" [beef] and "lai yige ba" [I'll have that].

But our meal was perfect. The beer [Tsingtao, usually, or Snow] was the perfect lightness to wash down some of the tongue-numbing spiciness that I'm really becoming fond of. 

Afterwards we walked around a bit, enjoying the way the shops light up and the streets stay dark as the night moves on. You see, in the parts of Chengdu we are familiar with, there are no streetlamps or even stoplights for cars. At first I registered this as stupid and unsafe. But now I've come to realize that the drivers are skilled [in a frightening way] and the lack of lights on the sidewalks makes all the stores, shops, bars, and tea houses that much more alluring. I have always loved the culture in a city, especially the nightlife. Each one is different. Chengdu is like the ocean waves on a PNW beach: at some points, the sounds and sights rush right up to you, begging you to jump in and get lost, while other places are simply ebbing away, bubbling slightly up to make you wonder if it's always this calm, or only while the wind has died down.

I exchanged "nihao" for "hello" with a few of these young boys, running around a plaza playing 'soldier'.

 

  

 

Tomorrow I'm supposed to find out my classes, meet with professors, and buy textbooks. Saturday is a free day, and then Sunday I get my schedule. Fall semester begins on Monday, bright and early. My usual pre-quarter anxiety is at least doubled at the moment, and will probably rise as the next few days go by. But a funny thing about anxiety disorders: chaos is like another day in my mind. So while many people are dealing with a new-found sense of panic as the first day draws near, I am used to the feeling. Panic is my middle name. 


Take that as you will, I'm choosing to see the upside for now.

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Ni Hao

China is stifling. 

The air, the heat, the noise, the smells, the crowds. 

And every day, every night, I drink it in. Together, the offensive and appealing parts of Beijing work to create an experience so unique, that I'm not quite sure I can describe it here. Suffice to say that there is no real way to prepare oneself for China. 

Nightlife. A local-favorite system of connected alleys selling all different
wares, as well as local delicacies [read: scorpion, octopus, silkworm...]

Our first three and a half days were spent in what I like to refer to as the "American Sheep Herd" in Beijing. The group is about 23 students from all over America. We did tourist-y things, like visit the Forbidden City and climb the Great Wall. Our tour guide, Sun Li, was phenomenal. She gave us a comprehensive, unbiased view of daily life in China, urging us to spend our evenings and nights navigating bus routes to visit districts and alleys. She even arranged for us to visit the home of a woman in a Hutong Alley. Hutong Alleys are traditional Chinese homes, built hundreds of years ago in such a way that many connected buildings surround small square court yards. Now, these buildings are split into multiple homes, usually one or two rooms with a kitchen, housing extended families. The woman was small, aging gracefully, and spoke in such a way that commanded the attention of even the small dog in the cramped room. Not angrily or particularly loud (in China, speaking loudly is the main way to get attention or prove that what you're saying is worthwhile)...but slow, direct. The house, in fact the entire courtyard, had belonged to her grandfather. He had worked as a skilled artist for the Emperor. The home then went to his children and finally her. She has remained unmarried and without children. This allows her to be more flexible in her personal life. Just before the Beijing Olympics, the government picked several traditional homes around Beijing to act as host homes for athletes and, presumably, high-paying Westerners. Those who had the cleanest homes and cooked the best were chosen, and this woman was one of them. Assisted by her two nieces she cooks meals for people, offering a lesson in traditional Chinese living (no bathroom or shower facilities indoors, and heating/air conditioning are out of the question) and a quick "how to" in dumpling making. This was my best meal in China, to date.

Well...except maybe the dinner I had my last night in Beijing. Energized by the city lights and our growing ability to do simple things with the Chinese language, a small group of us set out to find a restaurant serving Peking Duck. We got what we were searching for, and much more.

There are two lessons to be learned here:
1. Order lightly
2. Never eat the first duck that comes to the table.

Now it is Monday for me. August 27th, to be exact. Early evening. I am in Chengdu, Sichuan province, which was a two and a half hour plane trip from Beijing, yesterday. While Beijing was every bit as amazing as it sounds, I have to say that I believe I am much more suited to life in Chengdu. The air is cleaner. The people talk, walk, and just live more slowly. The incorporation of local vegetation is gorgeous.My campus, Sichuan University, takes up a large portion of the city. I have only just begun exploring the grounds. Tomorrow there is a tour and orientation...I'm looking forward to getting a little bit of English clarification on things university-related. 

On that note, Anthony and I were talking today, while walking back to campus after buying essentials and peeking into different stores, living in a country where you can't quite speak the language isn't nearly as scary as it sounds. For every difficult moment, there is a reward. Gratification is held in ordering a meal or getting help finding a certain product. And the locals seem willing (for the most part) to assist in understanding by doing things like speaking slowly and gesturing. It makes me even more excited to become more comfortable with Mandarin. 

Tonight is for relaxation, recuperation, and preparation.

Zaijian, for now<3

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Peace out, USA.

This past week or so has been...non-stop, to say the least.

Turning 21 mere days before making my first trip out of the country has been interesting. Of course, my friends and family made it an amazing experience [thank you, Nick, Kevin, Matt, Lesley, and Anthony for putting up with me:)]...but it was kind of a blur. Not a drunken blur, but a "okay this is great but I need to pack and run a million errands before leaving America" blur. That being said, I had amazing 21 runs [yep, 'runs'...I had two!] and was really happy to have the time to party with my friends and family for the last time for a few months. 

Watch out, E-Town...I will be back to terrorize you in the fullest.

Anyway...the important things:
I am packed, checked into my flights online, and currently waiting out my last night here in bed. It's kind of surreal, actually. Even as I type this I keep glancing around the room, wondering if I've forgotten anything. I'm itching to go weigh my checked bag and carry-on for the millionth time. I want to call Anthony and ask him if he's awake still, even though I already know the answer. Speaking of Anthony; tomorrow, at freaking 5am, will be the first time our parents meet. Uh...cool. 

 Do any of you find this as hilarious as I do? ...No? ... ... .....
I got it last week in my patented takeout hangover cure-kit [AKA give me my cheap Chinese food and we can still be friends, Safeway] and was kind of giddy over it for the next day or so. "Watching a movie"...ha. 



Signs that Zoey is having a real nervous breakdown:"Taco? Nah, I'll pass."
My hair is falling out in freaking clumps now.
2am "Lalalala let's clean the whole HOUSE!"
Buying q-tips, just in case, even though I really don't have a use for them in my daily life.
My eye is twitching. Twitching. I can't control it and I feel like a freak.

Okay...maybe I'm overreacting a tiny bit.

But, anyway, this is my last post state-side. The next time I write, I will be in China. No Facebook, Twitter, etc. I'll update this with pictures and adventure-tales as often as physically, emotionally, and mentally possible.

I love you all.

See you on the other side;)

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Weening Myself Off Coffee

We've all been trying to make it through these final weeks without going crazy. This isn't an easy thing to do. Each day brings a new "to-do" list and I'm always going to bed feeling like I missed something. And then there is the thought of packing. Packing. How do I even begin to pack?

And Anthony has been like:

And Alley isn't any help:

And, of course, the weather here is all:

So, really, how's a girl supposed to focus?!

On top of all this, I turn 21 in three days! So I also have to plan for those shenanigans.

I've been doing a lot of research about Chendgu (not making much language progress...) and the places around. We were given a bunch of information packets to read over prior to boarding the plane...and I wish I had a picture of mine to show you. It's highlighted and annotated and lovingly looked-over. I think I have it memorized. There is a mention of a break from classes at some point in October for a long enough time to consider a few days trip to a surrounding attraction. I'm really hoping to get to some functioning monasteries during that time. Also, Anthony's birthday is in October(!) so I'm hoping we can plan something special for him:)

Well, I have to get back to the Mountain Of Stuff To Take Care Of.

  Eleven days till departure!


Always,
Z

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Fun With Words!

Twenty six days or three weeks and five days till China!
(On a side note, eighteen days till I turn 21)


One of my best friends is leaving to go work in New York for an entire year on August 1st, so I've been using that as something to keep my mind off of how anxious I am to leave. I'm really going to miss her...we've had quite an interesting summer together. 


This is really a crazy waiting game. This whole summer I've just felt like I've been holding my breath, waiting for something to happen. And sometimes things did happen. Like getting my awesome job helping ESL students with their conversation skills. I can't even begin to explain how much I've learned through that. But really, for the most part, I'm just impatient. Maybe things will pick up on my birthday? Hmm...

 

I just downloaded this sweet app called "Google Translate". It's the nifty phone-version of this popular site...and I figured it would not only help me learn the language better, but also might be useful IN China (The jury is still out on whether or not I can use my phone during my stay, though...). Right now, however, it's mostly been hilarious. Anthony and I decided to say things that we thought would be helpful, listen to them repeated back in Chinese, switch the translation from Chinese, to English, and then speak the Chinese as best we could and see how well it translated back. Obviously A) there are hardly any 'perfect' translations when going from English to another language and vice versa and B) we are super new at this...but I have to say, I didn't expect it to be this bad:

 

This was Anthony's attempt at "Where is the bathroom".

Yeah...this might end up being a little bit harder than originally expected.

Honestly though...that is hilarious. 

We're screwed.

Love,

     -Z

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The Countdown

In one month, I will be boarding a plane to China.

Yep, China.

From August to December, Anthony and I will be at Sichuan University in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. The Sichuan Province is in Southwest China, and it's capital city, Chengdu, is known for it's blending of traditional culture and modern advances in technology and economics.

When considering study abroad locations, Anthony and I chose China for a few reasons. One: it is much less likely that we'd be so inclined, later on down the road, to travel to China (rather than tour Europe, etc). Two: being religious studies and cultural anthropology double majors with focuses in Eastern philosophy, studying in China just made sense. And three: because this trip was going to be my first step into becoming a world traveler, I wanted to pick somewhere completely out of my comfort zone.

I have a feeling I'll be getting exactly what I'm asking for, and much more.

I've spent the summer earning money, filling out endless paperwork, and studying up on Chinese culture and modern life. I think it's safe to say that...I'm not ready at all.

I still have so much to figure out. Communicating with friends and family (No Facebook or Google in China), classes I'm going to sign up for, basic language...don't even get me started on packing. Ugh. How am I going to pack what I need for three and a half months in one suitcase under 44 pounds?!

The answer, I know, is pretty simple:

                       I just will.

There really isn't any "ifs" or "buts" about it. I'm going to China. I'm starting my life. This is it.

Passport, Visa, campus map:)

If you're interested in keeping up with my daily life leading up to, and during this amazing experience, then bookmark this blog. I'll put the links to my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in my sidebar (Although keep in mind I'm not sure if I can use any of those while abroad).

If you're super insterested, you can click here to visit the website of the university I am officially enrolled in.

Twenty-nine days.

With love,

         Z.

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Apologies

It's been way too long since I've written anything.
This is partly because I have been busy with school, and sick, and partly because I am extremely judgmental of my own writing. Even though this is supposed to be my unedited view of the world around me, I still nitpick over everything I type out...and more often than not, I dislike it and end up not pushing "publish".

But my good friend Jessica told me to "get over it" and "write already". So, here it is.

It's been a long winter. Where I'm currently living, this means a lot of snow and cold winds. Regardless of how beautiful that can be (see previous post), it can also get old. This morning it was sunny and, despite the wind picking up (think: average of 20-25MPH), warm. By the time I made it to my 10am class I was regretting the jacket and sweatshirt combo. Of course, it ended up clouding over and raining later (which, because of the rarity around here, was sort of nice)...but I enjoyed it while I could. I'm usually a big fan of the seasons in Washington, but this day-in, day-out low temperature, slipping-on-old-snow, worrying-about-driving thing is getting me down.

This might be a slight exaggeration

So I've had to come up with a few distractions.

I started enhancing my cooking techniques. Instead of copying each line of a recipe for dinner, I've started to research multiple versions of the same dish and piece together my own recipes. I'm working on memorizing useful ingredient substitutions (this one is mostly because I am a broke college student who can't afford to buy buttermilk). I'm trying new things. Vegetables I used to balk at are now becoming staples. Tonight, I cooked with garbanzo beans for the first time! I have dabbled in everything from hearty stews to crockpot roasts to spicy dry-rubbed chicken to key lime cake (Soon, Kevin, I promise) over the past few months, and it's earned me a bit of a reputation.

I've gotten into Parks and Recreation. Really into it. My fiance and I have watched three and 1/3 seasons. I referred to someone as "pulling a Ron Swanson" today. Anthony points out certain things I do as "very Leslie". We hate Ann. This needs to stop.

Yet another thing we have in common, fellow over-achiever.

I have been contributing to my love for knowledge with documentaries. I've been watching Stephan Hawking documentaries and shows on "origins of [insert ancient civilization here]" on NOVA and the Discovery channel for a long time, but it's only been in the last few months that I have really explored the documentaries section on Netflix, and actively pursued flicks on my favorite topics. Say what you want, but besides Sense and Sensibility or Cool Runnings, there isn't another moving picture I'd rather curl up with than a good ole' documentary. I'm majoring in Cultural Anthropology and Religious Studies, with a focus in Eastern philosophy, so that tends to be my subject of choice. Recently I watched one called Please Vote for Me about a democratic election in an elementary school in Communist China. If you don't have Netflix, you can read about it and watch previews/clips here. It sounds a little kitschy, but the underlying messages and values are phenomenal. 

I started working out. Sort of. I do yoga and walk/jog a lot. But I've recently been going to the school gym more and specifically working. I've always been athletic, so it's not a big lifestyle change or anything, but I am excited to get back into shape nonetheless. Besides, exercise = endorphins, right?

And from now on out, I'll be writing more often!

Really, besides school and the few "college lifestyle" things I indulge in, these are my "winter-is-dragging-on" activities. (Anthony will probably say something if I don't include beating Diddy Kong Racing 64 as well...I'm a violent player) I'm counting down the days till it's warm again and I can hit the streets on my longboard. I worked my class schedule for Spring quarter so I can be out at noon everyday again...oh, the possibilities :)

But for now, I'll just study for math and watch another Parks and Rec episode...or two...

What do you do to ward off "winter blues"?
Do you like Parks and Rec?
What are some awesome documentaries you've read lately?
Got any awesome recipes?  

 

Images courtesy of: Funzu, ImgFave,

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