China

Most of you probably know that I’m spending this semester (Sep. 1 – Dec. 20) in Beijing, China (if you didn’t before, know you do!).  I’m in a language-intensive program with 49 other people studying Chinese only, and starting Monday we are forbidden from speaking English (except when speaking to relatives of course 🙂 ).  We’re living at Beijing Institute of Education, which is a commuter school in the Xicheng district of Beijing.  A lot has happened already in the first week, so I’ll try my best to remember everything as I write this update.

I departed early in the morning on Aug. 31 and arrived in Beijing at a local time of 5:00 or so (Beijing is 12 hours ahead of Eastern U.S. time).  The 13.5-hour flight from Chicago to Beijing was largely uneventful, filled mostly with various packaged meals and a poor choice of movies with Chinese subtitles.  Having arrived, I asked a stewardess for my guitar, which had been stowed in a closet on the plane, but I was informed that it was “gate checked” and would therefore be with my luggage at baggage claim.  My guitar was in fact not at baggage claim, but still in the plane.  After asking around at baggage claim for a while (one man told me to look at the oversize baggage claim, #43, only there was no #43, just a #42 and a #45), I left baggage claim and entered the front part of Peking Airport.  But of course, I had been left behind (we were supposed to meet our group once we got off the plane), so I spent a good 15 minutes wandering around, contemplating the possibilities of having to use my limited Mandarin to hire a taxi to take me to a place I had never been to before, without my guitar.       However, I finally found the group, and the director (Jason Wang) advised me to go upstairs to the check-in area and ask for my guitar.  I did so, and had my first real Chinese language experience in China.  I slowly but successfully conveyed to the workers at United that my guitar was still on the plane.  4 people were eventually working to get it back to me as quickly as possible, so I was very grateful for their help.  I finally got my guitar, just in time to leave on the bus to our dorms.  Having checked in at the dorms, I went to sleep almost immediately.

The next morning (Thursday Sep. 2), after an orientation session, we had our language placement tests (at a time, of course, when we were all still jet-lagged).  Later in the afternoon we had a lecture given by a policewoman, most of which covered common-sense safety tips, although she did discuss how holding unauthorized religious meetings (e.g. Bible studies) and proselytizing are prohibited, which gave me kind of an eery feeling.  After this meeting, we went shopping for some necessities at a local department store, Ito Yokado (which I assume is a Japanese organization).  We had a lot of fun trying to buy things, learning new words (like ‘trash bag’), not really understanding much of what the salespeople were trying to say to us, purchasing items we weren’t sure would work, and discovering that, even if you’re next in line, you have to fight for your place because other people will go for it.  I’m still not sure if the laundry detergent (Omo) I bought will work or not, but I guess I’ll find out soon.

The next day (Friday Sep. 3), after breakfast, another orientation session, and lunch, a few of us took the subway (much like London’s, I suppose, though very cheap – only ¥2 for a one-way trip ($1 = ¥6.8)) to the Military Museum, which was essentially a propaganda enterprise with few words relative to the many large pictures depicting brave communist soldiers and always-thankful, always-smiling citizens.  At least it was free, but it was an interesting experience.  That evening about 8 of us, including one of the Chinese staff (Li Xuan, a really cool guy), went out to eat at a Xinjiang restaurant, which was owned by Muslims (for those of you who don’t know, Xinjiang is the “autonomous” province in northwestern China where the Muslim Uighurs, who have been the object of much governmental repression, live).  Chinese meals are much different from Western-style meals, in that the table orders several plates of food, all of which is shared.  No one orders his own dish.  Near the end of dinner some nice men sitting at the table next to us came over and chatted with us (mostly with a female student, to whom he offered his alcohol and gave his phone number, though Li Xuan assures us he was only being kind without any ulterior motives).  Jet lag was still dragging me down, so I went to bed after we returned.

The next day (Saturday Sep. 4) we learned about the academics here and what our schedules would be like.  We were then “sorted” (without the hat) into our respective classes, I being in the 300-level group (the levels are 100, 150, 200, 260, 300, 400, and 500).  We were then assigned about 30-40 characters to memorize for Monday (homework already!).  Our teachers then took us to a nice roast duck restaurant (Ya Wang), where we got to know our classmates and teachers better.  Our Chinese roommates arrived later that day (almost all 50 students have a Chinese roommate who goes to college somewhere in Beijing).  My roommate’s name is Bao Xin, a senior at a university whose name I cannot now remember.  He’s a really nice guy, though he’s a bit introverted like me, which makes for awkward silences every now and then.  That night Bao Xin and I, along with a few other students, went to another local restaurant, where he and I were the only ones who didn’t drink (boy, do U.S. college students like their alcohol!).  After dinner we observed some evening public dancing in front of a Beijing opera house, an event that allegedly occurs every night.  There were many different styles of dancing, some more akin to exercise workouts and others more elaborate and artistic.  There was also roller skating going on.  Late that night I had my first experience with Asia’s favorite pastime, KTV, or karaoke.  We went to a karaoke bar and had our own room with a large television and a computer for selecting songs.  Perhaps my experience was influenced by frustration with others’ drunkenness and the fact that I was already tired enough to fall asleep, but I don’t really understand the fascination with karaoke–intoxicated individuals singing poorly to extremely loud music, most of which consists of cheesy ballads… I don’t get it.  Maybe it just doesn’t fit with my introverted personality.  Anyways, I and a few other people went home early in my first Chinese taxi.  Luckily, one of the students spoke more fluent Chinese than I did, so we made it back safely.

The next day (Sunday Sep. 5) we finally got to sleep in.  Bao Xin took me to breakfast and lunch (thankfully, since I still have a hard time with directions and don’t really know where the best places to eat are).  At 3:00 we went to Zizhu Park where we received a short Tai Chi lesson.   We then toured the park (very beautiful) and returned to campus where we did some icebreaker games with our roommates.  There were also some performances by a musician and some… dancers?  I’m not sure what to call them, but I have some videos of their performances I can post later.  After dinner I went back to studying my 40 characters for tomorrow’s quiz, and right now I’m enjoying my last night of English for the next 3.5 months.

People in China generally seem very friendly.  They’re not too frustrated with foreigners who don’t understand anything, or so it seems.  Beijing is full of tall buildings and rich people as well as numerous back alleys homeless people.  Traffic is a somewhat interesting phenomenon, with more of an “every-man-for-himself” mentality than a desire closely to follow rules.  Cars and bicycles don’t really stop for pedestrians but just swerve around them, so crossing the street is always an adventure.  Chinese food hasn’t been too strange yet, though I haven’t gone to Xiaochi Street, where you can have your pick of lizards, crickets, scorpions, and other such items.  The weather has been pleasant lately, mostly 75-85 F.  The dorm rooms are small, with no closets but only a small wardrobe.  But besides getting used to all things China, my greatest challenge so far has been a lack of Christian fellowship.  None of the American students I’ve met so far seem to be Christians, and of course Christianity is rather hostile to the Chinese people in general.  I hope to start attending a church for foreigners next Sunday, but in the meantime, pray for me!  I know my God can answer me with awesome deeds of righteousness, but the loneliness still lingers.  Nevertheless, I’m excited about what God will do through me here, even if it only consists of witnessing to my roommate (which is, of course, illegal – another reason for prayer!).