Surviving the smog, a purse full of kleenex, and propaganda

(this is just a copy of the email i sent out to everyone)
Ni hao! (nee how= hello in chinese!)

Voila one of my key phrases that i've learned in my few days in Beijing! We also have down duoshao qian (how much is it), tai gwe la (too expensive! ), Bu xie (no thank you) , qing gei wo (please bring me), xi men (west gate- bc we are staying at the west gate of the university...), #1-5, and Ganbei! (cheers!) We are still of course learning but managing to get around with these few phrases and many many many hand gestures. Such as taking out our bank card and making the motion of putting it into an atm and pulling out money to ask someone where we can find an atm...communication at its most barbaric yet most unifying state.

These past few days have been quite an adventure. I must first start by trying to explain what it feels like to be the minority. Its insane. Its so insane that literally everywhere we go (bc we travel in groups and generally in big ones..) Chinese people stop us and ask us if they can take a picture with us! Its so crazy!! we are happy to oblidge and sometiems even throw in a casual peace sign with our hands. They love that here. Yesterday in the park, which ill talk about soon, a group of schoolchildren asked for our pic and one little girl standing next to me put her arm in mine!! It was super cute. The kids here are just way too adorable. Who knows, maybe ill come back home with a little chinese babe:) just kidding....

So the days of this week are all a blur, but ill talk about what we did in no particular order....

One day we went to explore the Hutongs, which are little alleyways criscrossing through the center of Beijing. Once upon a time, these hutongs were strictly residential streets and showcased a very simplistic, almost lacking way of life. They were not glamorous or nice and they were essentially the heart of old Beijing. But, given all the reforms the government has done in the city, the alleyways have been transformed into streets filled with cute shops and restaurants. Its actually one of my favorite spots in Beijing so far because once you get there it is silent, and calm, and there are a bunch of tea and coffeeshops and it's a nice place to unwind. But the real hutongs, which are where people still live, are not so nice, and I'm looking forward to exploring all of them soon. Its such a great way to get a glimpse of real chinese life before the government renovates them into the image they want the world to have of China.

Another experience we had was a trip to the Pearl Market, which is a 4 story building in essence that sells everything from jewelry to tee shirts to shoes to bags to kimonos. Its crazy because you walk in this place and people are literally pulling you towards their shop to buy their stuff. The fun part is that the whole name of the game here is bargaining. So, we worked on our haggling skills and got some really cool stuff for really cheap. Like I got a pair of Puma sneakers for 100yuan, which is about $12 (they cost $50ish in the US), a silk kimono for 50yuan ($7), and a red really cute MaxMara jacket for 130yuan (about $16). It was so fun! And apparently you can get pearls reallllllllllllllllly cheap here so if anyone is interested, let me know! :)

The next day we went to Beihai Park, which is kind of like the Central Park of Beijing. Inside you hear none of the hustle and bustle of city life and it is very calm and peaceful. There is a lake in the middle and we rented paddle boats, which was quite a workout! Then we explored the temples that encircle the lake and that are on an island in the middle of the lake. From the top, we could see the Forbidden city which is HUGE! We should be going to see that on Monday. Cant wait! Then we walked along this pathway over the water that is just a local hang out spot im assuming because there were people dancing, singing, playing cards and a game i can only compare to a mix of chess and backgammon, and just hanging out. It was so incredible to see the daily life and culture of these people. ill post some really cool pics from this place on the website.

Friday we went with a huge group of all the international volunteers here in Beijing for the Olympics for a "trip to the Beijing countryside." Minding that this little excursion was paid for by BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Commitee for the Olympic Games), we were not supprised to have an entire day filled with propoganda and an attempt at brainwashing for all us foreigners.We started our day off at the Waste water treatment plant (what else could be better than seeing that first thing in the morning...) which is supporting all the water used during the games. It was horribly boring and slightly pointless since no one could even hear the guide, but oh well. On to the next part. A trip to a "rural village", which we got to by passing some farms and a super exclusive Country Club that costs over $60,000 per year to attend. Just what every rural village in China has, right?......So then we get to the village where we see a cluster of newly renovated nice homes, and are shown inside a few of them so as to see how these phesants live. Not too shabby. WE then visit a nearby temple area, very ornate and extravagent- something that is apparently 'typical' of the village. The committee tells us that this village is really one of a kind but it serves as a goal and an example of what the government hopes to accomplish in all rural villages in China. Since the villagers can work on the farms and in the country club, apparently they think that will solve all of China's poverty problems. Nice idea in theory i guess, but from the looks of this village, they are reaching wayyyy outside their means here. Maybe starting with finding a way for the millions of people in China to not have to worry about dying from malaria or malnutrition or finding them running water and food they can produce would be a better goal to start with.....Oh well, it was an interesting day of seeing how the government works if nothing else....

Saturday was a really interesting day as well. Again, we went as a group (remember there is about 300 of us...) to the Great Wall of China!!! Sounds like an awesome thing, right? Well, it was. Once we were finally up on the wall and could wrap our tired, hot, sweaty, hassled minds around the fact that we were standing on the Great Wall, it was cool. The not so cool part was that they brought us to the most touristy part of the wall. I mean it was the Disney World of China. There was a hotel and a Starbucks at the bottom of the wall. And no shortage of little chinese women throwing tee shirts, hats, and other memorabilia our way in the hopes we would use our great American spending power to their advantage. You have to see the pics of this online. Picture a caddle heard....in desert 90degree weather. We were all smushed next to each other to get onto the wall, and then had to fight past people to climb the wall. And one thing about Chinese people; they have no idea what personal space is, nor do they understand the concept of a line. Straight, orderly lines exist nowhere in China- people just push their way as close to other people and their destination as they can get. Seriously you cant even make this stuff up!!! So needless to say, i will be making another trip to the Wall, most likely after the madness of the olympics is over. Hopefully I'll have better things to say about this manmade wonder after a more natural experience..... (p.s. Mom- dont worry, i managed to score you a magnet from this location:)

Andddd, to top of the whole week, i've been battling a cold since about Tuesday!! I'm finally getting better but luckily i found Halls and lots of tissues in a little market to keep me going. And my friend Erin had some Day and Nyquil that were my heroes. Have been taking lots of vitamins and am finally getting over my sickness!! I think part of it is due to the super thick fog, so hopefully my body has had its freak out and can now acclimate to the new climate.

Okay well I think i have given you all enough blabbering to read for one email! I will write more soon once we do some more sightseeing. We start training on Tuesday and will probably be busier startin then.

I hope everyone is well and Im thinking of you all!!!