MIA, but I'm Back!

So, it’s been quite awhile since my last post. I recently had a friend set up my email-to-blog system (thank you, Nathan). I am sorry I have been MIA for so long. However, you can thank the Great Firewall of China for that. The People’s Republic of China celebrated her 60th birthday this year. It seems the PRC’s favorite type of party involves a lot of crack—down. Hah, forgive the poor pun. But it’s true. In the months leading up to 国庆节 (Guo Qing Jie, Independence Day), it seemed the whole of China was mobilized and put under lockdown. Every Beijing person I ran into had some role to play in the great celebration. Entire schools and classes were practicing and preparing performances for the big show in Tiananmen Square on October 1. Some schools even cancelled whole weeks of class (totally unthinkable in China) so students could practice! Professors at the various Beijing universities were also busy polishing up their contributions for the big party. The Beijing 老百姓 (lao bai xing, common people) also played a part. On every street corner in Beijing, 老爷爷’s and 老太太’s (lao ye ye and lao tai tai; lit. old grandfather, old grandmother) offered their services by sitting on stools and…well, sitting on stools. I’m pretty sure they didn’t really do anything except sit and talk to each other all day. I personally found them quite helpful because I would often ask them for directions when traveling around the city. You always knew who they were because they all wore a semi-official looking red arm badge that labeled them as a volunteer. I’m fairly certain they weren’t volunteering to give directions to 老外 (lao wai, slang term for foreigner); the word on the street was that they served as eyes and ears for the government. I’m disposed to believe this, because the more official security in Beijing was also heightened prior and during 国庆节. On every street bridge in Beijing, there were at least 2 security guards posted. It’s reassuring to see guards posted on bridges, especially when walking back to your dorm room late at night, but then again, I don’t think their main purpose was to protect the 老外 exchange student as she made her way back to her room from the 24-hour internet bar. You might think I’m being unfair to China and not giving her the benefit of the doubt. However, now that 国庆节 is over, there are no more 老爷爷’s or 老太太’s, and there are no more security guards.
    But life has continued without a hitch, despite the decreased level of security and convenient source of directions. October 1st seems like so long ago now. Since that time, I’ve been busy getting settled into my classes, learning Tai Qi, finding a new appreciation for grilled cheese and climbing mountains.
    I should probably change the header to my blog now b/c I am no longer in the Chinese Modern Literature department. I am now in the Chinese Culture and Language department. As interesting as Chinese Modern Literature can be, I was finding those classes to be a misuse of my time. Studying language and culture is a much better fit for me. And so, after 2 weeks of being bounced around to different offices and filling out different forms and getting different signatures, I finally switched departments. I am now happily settled in the 302 level 本科二班 (ben ke er ban, 2nd undergraduate class). I am the only white person in a class of about 15 Koreans, which is fine, seeing as this forces me to only speak Chinese with my classmates.
    There is one other white person in my Tai Qi class, but I believe he is from Russia; so once again, Chinese is the common language. Unfortunately, my Tai Qi class only meets once a week. Tai Qi is already a slow-moving form of martial arts, so only having class once a week makes it even slower. But I’m happy to just be able to learn it.
    It really is the little things like this that make life in China so pleasurable. Grilled cheese has even taken on a deeper meaning. I recently introduced the dish to a few of my Chinese friends. My Chinese friend invited me over to cook supper one day at her house and I volunteered making an American dish – the simplest thing I could think of was grilled cheese. It’s a comparably expensive dish to make in China because its most important ingredients (butter and cheese) are on the expensive side of food in China (the Chinese very seldom eat dairy products). But it’s well worth it. My Chinese friends appreciated the warm, toasty bread and sharp melted cheese, just as I appreciated their stir-fried carrots and potatoes and such.
    The Chinese appreciate a lot in life, come to think of it. They especially appreciate mountains. Beijing’s famous mountain is 香山 (xiang shan, Frangrant Hill). I have already climbed it three times. And each time, it has been packed with people. I don’t quite know why the Chinese so enjoy climbing mountains, but it just seems to be a matter of course. The Chinese seem to view mountain climbing as one of the most standard ways of touring an area or spending the weekend. It’s often an activity for the entire family, as well. The elderly as well as the very young all climb the mountain. To be fair, the mountains in China usually all have stairs or paved pathways, but they are nonetheless mountains stairs and pathways. Before my semester is up, I will probably be back at 香山 sooner or later.
    Well, I hope this has caught you up on my life to date. I hope to be able to fill in a few gaps soon, as well as keep this more updated.