My adventures in China

Starting a blog always seemed like a great way to share ideas, thoughts, and anecdotes. I've always wanted to do this, but never found the time. Sometimes I feel enslaved to my daily routine. During the months I'm in school I rarely have time to read books other than those assigned for a specific class, and though I often feel inspired to sit down and write on my journal (which is still practically empty), I never do. However, having the opportunity to travel has made me realize that life is too fascinating to let it just pass you by, and that if I don't start doing this now, then who knows if I ever will. Memories fade, so twenty years from now, when I think about my adventures in China and elsewhere, at least I'll be able to relive them by reading myself. So, no more excuses. Michael, my roommate here in China, has inspired me to start blogging. He's right, the only people who will probably read this are my mom and dad. And Isabel (I hope). But that's alright. Welcome to my blog! From now on, I'll make an effort to post something at least once a month, or whenever I have something interesting to say. Feel free to comment (English or Spanish).

I would write in Spanish, but since I still don't know how to input accents on my keyboard, I'd rather not. Besides, it's a way to practice my English. So forgive any spelling/grammar mistakes, you know it's not my first language.

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In 2005, when I started high school in Mexico, my school decided to begin offering Chinese classes. I was one of the first to sign up, not only because my parents loved the idea, but because I was really curious to be exposed to a language so different from my own. This is how this journey began. Each year we would get a new teacher from BLCU (Beijing Language and Culture University). We had about 4 hours of class per week, and pretty soon we were able to say a few basic things. It was always very discouraging to compare ourselves to the kids taking French, though. While they were reading short stories and preparing 20 minute oral presentations, we were still learning how to write Ni hao (Chinese for "hello"). Well, I may be exaggerating a little bit, but truth is, by the end of our senior year our class of twenty students or so had magically evaporated, and only three of us were left.

That year, Mengyali, our last professor, felt confident that we were ready to participate in a Chinese language competition in Mexico City. I had to memorize a 3-minute speech that I barely understood, sing a traditional Chinese song whose lyrics (you guessed it) I also barely understood, and answer a few questions. Fourteen kids showed up to the competition. Of those, the first three would win a free trip to China to compete in the finals that summer. I won 3rd place. Those three weeks in China were some of the best and strangest I've ever experienced. I got to travel with people from twenty-four different countries, and discover a whole new culture. If I ever doubted my commitment to learn Chinese, that trip definitely inspired me to keep going.

But enough of that, this post is about my second trip to China, summer 2010, not summer 2008. Even before starting as a freshman at USC I knew I wanted to keep learning Chinese, so I decided to take on the EALC (East Asian Languages and Culture) minor. That's just a fancy name for a bunch of Chinese language classes, plus Chinese Literature and Chinese Civilization. This summer I was lucky enough to come to China for two months, to take the equivalent of two semesters of Chinese. That means class Monday-Friday from 9am to 12pm, lunch for an hour, followed by half an hour of one-on-one speaking practice with a Chinese tutor.

It isn't as bad as it sounds. We are staying at Capital Normal University, west of Beijing's 3rd Ring Road (I don't know what that means; you'll quickly learn that I'm very geographically-challenged). Anyway, I share a room with Michael, the most awesome roommate ever. We have our own bathroom, but no kitchen. Eating out isn't a problem. We usually go to the Sichuan place down the street, or just get street food from the vendors near the school gate. Here, it isn't hard to eat on less than five dollars a day. Of course, if you get tired of eating spicy peanuts and beef(?) on a stick everyday, then there are plenty of more expensive choices out there.

All the people I'm with on this trip are from USC, with majors varying from Cinema and Music, to Accounting and Neuroscience. We all got here in late May. Well, actually, I arrived in Beijing a day after everyone else did. I guess it really does matter whether the 1:20 on your plane ticket is AM or PM. Oops.

Learning Chinese means you get a lot of work. When I'm not doing homework or trying to learn those damn characters for the daily quizzes, I'm exploring the city or getting to know my "assigned" Chinese friends a little better. Huang Laoshi did a great job of planning group excursions to several points of interest in Beijing. So far we've visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Tombs, the Badalin section of the Great Wall, the Bird's Nest, and the Water cube. We've also had dinner at Quanjude, Beijing's most famous roast duck restaurant, and enjoyed a night at the Beijing Opera. The excursions have all been great, but I've realized I'm not a big fan of tour guides, or big groups, for that matter.

The best moments I've had in Beijing have all been unplanned, spur of the moment things, like the time I went to the 798 art district with a couple friends. 798 began as a sort of underground movement, when Avant-garde artists were looking for a place in which to exhibit work that might have irritated the Communist government. Old factory buildings in the outskirts of Beijing were turned into contemporary art galleries. Today, the place has become a popular spot for tourists and even locals. Walking through the streets of 798 is a nice break from all the noise and hectic lifestyle of the city. Just tell the taxi driver to take you to 七九八, qī jiŭ bā, and he'll know where to go.

Other fun unexpected moments have been when I got lost at the Summer Palace and had to ask five different people where the north exit was, or when I couldn't find the deodorant at the supermarket and had to mimic the action because I didn't know how to say it in Chinese, or when I found out that the lady that works in the shop downstairs watched Mexican soap operas as a kid, or when our taxi driver almost ran over twenty pedestrians, or when I ate pig brains at a Hot Pot place. Other highlights of the trip include being called a monkey by a saleswoman at Silk Street because of my hairy legs, going to Catholic mass (I didn’t know Beijing had Catholic churches!), trying to jog everyday and being defeated by Beijing’s humidity and pollution, and finding ways to avoid ever having to use squat toilets.

It's little moments like these that remind me of how lucky I've been to be able to travel. I am grateful to my parents, for giving me the opportunity to see the world, even if they haven't been able to come along with me. Honestly, even though travelling with people my age is incredibly fun, I can't wait to go on a long trip with my parents and my sister. It's been a long time.

I love China, but I miss home. I miss chocolate milk (they have some here, but it's not the same). I want to be able to have eggs for breakfast every morning, with BACON, and pancakes, and my mom's French toast. I want to enjoy what's left of summer with my family before I go back to school. Needless to say, I miss my girlfriend a lot! Coordinating Skype dates with the 13-hour time difference is not easy.

I can't wait to write about the Terracotta warriors in Xi'an, the red-light district in Tokyo (haha), and the World Expo in Shanghai, but this post is already way too long and I need to start studying the Chinese characters for tomorrow's quiz. Hopefully, this wasn't too boring. I'll write again soon.

罗培德

Pedro

The Forbidden City

Climbing the Great Wall

At 798

Love this picture! China Nationalities Park, Tibetan section.

Beijing opera artist putting his makeup on.