getting tired of fireworks?!

Happy happy 牛 year!

a week before the new year, fireworks go off here and there sometimes, made me want to run out every time and follow the sound to its source


the night before new year's day, fireworks set off continuously from 8pm, till past midnight, with the highpoint from midnight to 1am, by many families who bought their own fireworks,


families after families drove up with trunk load of fireworks to the designated spots, some couldn't even close their trunks

there were fireworks being set off in all four directions from where I was standing


the neighborhood sounded and looked at a battleground, with thick air of sulfur floating at the height of street lamps

the lingering fireworks lasted till almost 3am

then came the"ceasefire" for the most part of the first day of the new year

then it started all over again, the first night, then the second night, sure it will go on for the rest of the week
how did people get so rich, have so much money to burn off???

Out to the Northeast, Harbin

Interior finish work is pretty much done on my parents' apartment, but I don't want to leave until they are moved in there, so I opt for a trip to Harbin, the "ice city" of China, known for its annual ice and snow sculptures festivals that last for 2 months and russian architectures, something I have wanted to see since I was little. Of course Harbin is cold enough in the winter, when people talk about temperature, they say 9 or 15 or 20 C, but it is always minus, so they just skipped it. Needless to say, I dressed up myself and ended up looking like a bear with all these clothes.


The ice are taken from the frozen river that run through the city and many life-size buildings like churches, chateaus, pagodas are built out of thes ice blocks every winter for the Ice Sculptures Festival that last about 2 months. Great to view at night, when colorful lights embedded in them are lit up, a true winter wonderland.

The snow sculptures festival is newer and has smaller sculptures and are more artistic. They are great to see during the day against the blue sky.

Clicking on the title will take you to more pictures.

a collage of chinese traditional dances

by many women in my dance classes

Hardware vs. Software

Beijing might be full of hardwares - nice buildings, efficient transportation systems, public bathrooms everywhere, products of all sorts you would want (may not be able to afford), but the softwares still can't catch up with the ever popping hardwares.

So, what I do I mean by software - behaviors, how we treat others
people still spit wherever (I would show you a picture, but I don't want to gross you out), I grimce at every sound of someone loudly clear his throat then followed by a hearty spit;

I stand at the middle of the door of a subway train, when the door opens at the station, there will always be someone right in front me thinking that he/she will get on the train fastest that way;

I can't shake the habit of letting at least one other passenger to get on the bus before me, the result, I often end up being the last one getting on ;

One screams loudly "waiter" with a tone of a commander, I still can't get myself to do that, so I often wait for one that pass by which can take a while;

"No smoking" signs are everywhere in restaurants, but just like many laws and regulations, they are there, but we don't follow, because there aren't enough agents to reinforce these laws, and let alone agents to prosecute law breakers;

many people in the service industries treat foreigners better;

we still have a great need to show off our richess with cars, everything we carry that people can see;

strange, my memory of software of this city seem to be better when I was growing up here, or at least we were droned about it all the time (slogans and propagandas of a socialist country influenced by our confucius philosophy), so one would think that twenty years later, there would see much more improvement. But I wonder that 80's and after, we focused much more on economic growth therefore results of all these nice hardwares, but left no time and energy to worry much about softwares. So are softwares something we can only think about when average citizens attain middle class? or when the population reduce back down? Population in Beijing, in China, sure has increased tremendously in the last twenty years.

Being someone of 70's generation, I am confused with what I see now compare to what I was taught when I was little - the socialist dogma, to now most things are about money, how to make them with little or no social conscience (just think about the contaminated milk powder, the unsafe mines, and money paid to reporters so they won't report all the mining accidents) and how much one has. The socialist dogma still exists, the slogans and propaganda are still heard, the governement still control the medias to disperse praises of the one and only party, how they follow the socialist dogma, yet things on the ground say much different stories.

Imagine that so many people are overjoyed of your death

It's like a RPCV Guinea reunion on gmail and facebook, everyone has his/her status express the joy, the shock, the disbelief, the skeptism of unknown future, following the annoncement of death of General Lansana Conté. Eh Allah! 40 jours de deuil (je pense plustot c'est la célébration de sa mort!) et la lutte de pourvoir commence?! The people going to suffer even more...

Of course part of us wonder if he has been dead for sometime, and his inner circle has finally decided to let out the news. In anycase, and let's hope for some positive changes!

I am hoping for a MIRACLE!

There are also NGOs in China, not just companies trying to make money

Since I can't fill up all my time with babysitting the construction workers at my parents apt, shopping for unimaginable amount of building materials big and small, trying to find some friends and hang out with them (quite hard when one lives so far and doesn't work), and of course drowning myself in the internet, I found a couple of NGOs (not for profit organizations) to volunteer at.

Is a NGO started by an university student who learned about AIDS orphans in Henan. A province south of Yellow River. Apperantly this is a rather poor province, in the late 90s, lots of people sold blood to state hospitals to make money, and the blood weren't checked before given to patients who needed blood transfusion, the consequences you can imagine. The founder started first an orphan school in Henan, but was shot down several times by the state and finally he couldn't continue the school in Henan.
So he came back to Beijing and started 东珍(Dongzhen) to educate young people on HIV/AIDS.

Here is a postcard (what does it remind you of?), that I have helped to pass out on the streets. It was the first time for me to hand out stuff on the streets.

Here is a market shopping bag by the NGO as well. There are quite some creative people here in China!

There are also NGOs in China, not just companies trying to make money

The other one is Jane Goodall Institute Roots and Shoots program to educate young people on environmental protection. Of course this isn't a chinese born and grown NGO, but nevertheless it is a NGO thriving in China. I was told that NGOs focusing on environmental protection work out the best in China.

A public lecture by Dr. Jane Goodall at Beijing University.

Here is picture taken of Jane at a holiday fundraiser in Beijing. Poor thing, she is spending so much time and energy these days traveling all over the world to raise funding for the environmental projects of the institute. I wonder if she sometimes just want to go back to the forest and sit by her chimpanze friends for some reall quite and simple time.

Even it is 天寒地冻，I still want to see you - Beijing

天寒地冻 - sky cold earth frozen

My parents apt. work is taking a bit of a break right now, so I have more time to myself, and onto my second round of city seeing, eventhough, it is really really really bone chilling cold.

The lobby of the capital museum

a model of old theatre house inside the museum

the bell tower where the bell used to be rang at 7pm tell people to leave the streets for their home, and at 5am to annonce that morning is starting
Inside the drum tower, where the climb is so steep, I had to walk down sideways

looking down to the rooftop of the center of Beijing where the old houses - siheyuan are preserved

St. Joseph church (over 100 years old) by the Wangfujing walking street

I want to cry; it made me laugh; then I ponder

was in a bathroom washing my hand, the lady next to me left the faucet on while soaping her hands, and faucet was pouring out water, like i am crying a river inside of me for these water just going to waste...

so, we calcuated how many trees we would've cut down in 20 years, if every chinese uses one pair of disposable chopsticks a day, with the kids I am teaching Ecology-English (with the Jane Goodall Institute Roots and Shoots program) , let's see, 730 chopsticks x 1 300 000 000 x 20 = MANY chopsticks, equivalent of 7 200 000 000 trees. so, one boy said "I am just gonna use my hands!" I laughed out loud.

SO, I am a natural nature lover, always like all sorts of animals and plants. 3 years in a hut in Guinea, I even ended up liking the little bugs, even the fuzzy catipillar I use to hate, okay, I still can't stand snacks. So, it's very easy for me to care for the environment, but I wonder, I ponder, I scratch my head, how do we convince those city lovers, concret and metal lovers to care for environment where all that they like are made from the very nature I love???

Chopping Chopsticks

China produces 45 billions disposable chopsticks a year, which means 25 millions trees are cut down to do it, large part of the production is shipped overseas. For me, since I am in Beijing, starting yesterday I put a pair of reusable chopsticks in my bag. But for my friends, you, overseas, that's not realistic, but what else can you to do reduce the demand?

Friend's visit to Beijing in Oct. (click on each photo to see more pix)

CCTV - many chinese say it looks like a pair of pants. also many old ppl watched it being built and called in when the "legs" start to lean, saying that the constractor should check if they are building it wrong - meaning not straight

Jingshan Park - racing up the hill in this park north of Forbidden City, you get a panoranmic view of Beijing all around you, descend the hill, we found many locals dancing, singing, playing chess, discussion current issues and politics

Great Wall - 金山岭 司马台, if you don't want to see wall of ppl, if you want to have really sore thighs days afterwards, come here






Summer Palace - there is no grass and very few trees in Forbidden City, so the emperor and his entourage, come here for boating, for greenary, to relax in this palace-park place

Haohai - now it is the hip yet with traditional style bar and resto area in Beijing

Forbidden City


Olympic

Where did all the time go?

Can't believe I haven't updated my blog in a month. Where did all the time go? Spending too much time online, for one, (got to make up for the 3 years without internet in my hut)

Spending too much time on the bus/subway, waiting for them, waiting in traffic, everytime I go into the city.
Roundtrip is about 3 hours.






My parents chose to retire in an area that is green, far from crowded, congested and more polluted downtown Beijing.

Spending much of my time preparing for my friend's trip to Beijing, by going into the city, mapping out the routes and of course, trying out good places to eat!

Spending (recently, finally my parents are getting out of their slump) time talking to contractors who do interior finishes and shop for building materials at various super duper mega building materials stores, Home Depot really pale in comparison, how do we ever choose??? Make you want to go back to the days, where everything is arranged...

To people who is not familiar with housing in China, a brand new apt or house is not finished on the inside, no floors like hardwood, tiles or carpet, no kitchen or bathroom fixtures, just some PVC pipes sticking out of the wall or concrete floor. (Of course, old apt or house, interior finish is already done by the previous owner)

Typically, people have to spend 2-3 months to do interior finish (done by prof contractors), including shopping for all the materials, like flooring, toilets, fridge, down to door stops that need to go into the apt or house. The owner also has to watch the contractors from time to time to make sure they don't cheat you on material and quality of work. Why do you think I came to Beijing for? Just to eat??? nahhhh...

北京 (Beijing) - Paralympic, Beijing University, Beijing cityscape

Click on the title above will take you to my pictures for this post

It is much harder to be in "help your parents corps" than the Peace Corps, there I am with like-minded people of my age who immediately became good friends and we dove in intense training as soon as we got to Guinea. Here, I am with my aging parents who move at a snail pace, with no friends really. It was so great to speak to a couple of friends on Skype in English. I miss speaking English, I miss speaking French.

It is not easy to help your older parents, you want to do a lot of things for them but at the same time you cannot do too much for them, because they want to feel they are still independent and can take care of themselves. So you need to be careful not to hurt their confidence and feelings. A balance act.

So, going from having a lot of do in Peace Corps, having other teachers and students as friends, and feel very useful to - mostly hanging out for the moment and no friends here, it is quite difficult for me. I would trade my comfortable environment, electricity and running water for being busy and having friends. No joke. I hope that will change soon.
(anyone up for fried ??? how do you call it in English?)

Beijing University has such a beautiful campus, a great mix of water and mountain (more like hills) that are essential in any Chinese gardens. Lots of great corners to reculate oneself into the nature to read and think. I spent so much of my childhood here because my grandparents lived on campus. It is truly my childhood playground. I saw a lot more foreigners this time on campus and also in the streets of Beijing. Many on bikes, more at ease moving in and out of traffic than me.

Speak of traffic, it is very chaotic. Too many vehicles, too many motos, too many bicycles, too many tricycles, too many pedestrians, too many people/vehicles who don't follow traffic rules and traffic lights, because if you do, you will never get anywhere. Or maybe if everyone does, we might be able to get to where we are going faster? I don't know. Maybe I am just too new, and there is a orderly chaos that I am not used to, just like things are chaotic in Guinea, but there is certain order under the surface. I need to keep remind myself always watch out for turning vehicle, they rarely yield to you like we do in NYC even when I have the right of way crossing the street.

I wonder if Beijing has the most skywalks (built for pedestrian to cross streets) than any other cities in the world. An essential structure for the city, otherwise all the pedestrians who need to cross the streets will totally paralyze the vehicular traffic.

I was at awe of many new and very modern roads and highways, and spanking new buses with fully automatic card swiping system, much like buses I saw in Norway. Haven't checked out the metro yet. Okay, there is still at least one cashier on each bus, the reason being, one, there are too many Chinese who needs to work; two, to catch dishonest riders?

Very annoyed by too many salespersons at each store, who really don't know much of the stuff the store are selling or help you with stuff (ex. bath towels) that you really don't need help with. Again, we are too populated and everyone needs to do something to make ends meet. I still remember a few years ago when I was in Shanghai, having 3 waitstaff waiting at our table while we were eating.

Overwhelmed with uncountable skyscrapers and towers that can probablly make NYC pale in comparison. In NYC, it is a lot more compact (all the builidngs are next to each other, streets are narrow), here in Beijing it is a lot more spread out between the buildings, the roads are mostly 3 lanes in each direction plus a lane dedicated to bicycles.

How is ...?

How was Africa ?

I don’t know really. I was only in Guinea. I can tell you my take on that particular country but I can’t really say much about the rest of continent. Us PCVs always can't get over how funny this question seems to us. You wouldn’t ask someone who spent sometime say in Bulgaria, how was Eastern Europe? or someone who was in Uruguay for 2 years, and ask how was South America? N’est-ce pas? (right?)

How is China?

I don’t know. I am only in Beijing.

How is Asia?

I hope and I don’t think that I will get that question. Because I am finally in a more well recognized country. China is not all that is in Asia. People won’t lump Vietnam or Indonesia to China.

明月几时有？中秋节 - Mid-Autumn Festival

明月几时有？把酒问清天。
不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。
我欲乘风归去。惟恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒，起舞弄清影，何似在人间。

转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。

不应有恨，何事长向别时圆？
人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。

但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

This is one of my favorite chinese poems written by Su Dong Puo from the northern Song dynasty in the 11th century and one of the few that I can still recite by heart.

The Mid-Autumn Festial also known as Moon Festival is rather a big holiday here in China (it fell on a Sunday this year and workers get Monday off) always falls on the 15th day of 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, where the whole family gather together to celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season and admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, have a feast and eat moon cakes. I kind see it like the Thanksgiving holiday in the USA where everyone in the family try to be together to celebrate and eat a lot.

We don't always have our loved ones by our side at the holidays, and this poem was written to express the sentiment of missing our loved ones.

I will attempt to translate the essentiels of the poem in English.

When I would I see the full moon? Holding up a glass of wine, I ask the heaven.
Not knowing up there in the heavenly palace, what year it is for them.

I want to ride the wind up to the heaven, but afraid of chill and loneliness up there, what heavenly palace can compare to the life on earth with my loved ones.

The moonlight is flooding into the window, which makes me very sad.

The shining moon should not have any loathing, but why it is always full when my loved ones have gone away.

People come and people go, we cannot always be together, just like there is the crescent moon and there is the full moon and there is even no moon sometimes; it has been like this since the beginning of the days, nothing we can do about.

I only wish that although we cannot always be together, my loved ones are always healthy and out of harms way; we might be thousands of miles and always apart, but we can always admire the same shining full moon.

So I wish for all my families and friends at the distant land, this holiday season and all other days - happy, safe and healthy (幸福平安).