quelquefois

James Fallows painted a bleak picture of what it’d be like to visit TAM Square on June 4. So when I decided to visit today, I decided to forgo bringing my Canon 5d and brought my compact camera, instead. Indeed, more plainclothes security than visitors that day. Some followed us, others tried to photograph us, but all-in-all a very uneventful day (as expected).

Guard standing at one of the entrances to the Square

Sea of umbrellas

Just standing around with umbrellas, very inconspicuous

Tons of 武警 (wujing, special police forces)

With all that’s been going on in April, I haven’t yet had the chance to reflect on everything I did in March. My roommate and I set off for Shenzhen on March 2, after not sleeping a single wink the night before. It always makes sense at the time (and believe me, I do this 90% of time I have flights in the morning), but I am also always wrong. We checked in, found our gate, thanked our lucky stars that Beijing International Airport does not have armrests between its seats, and passed out for XX minutes until the plane was ready to board. Everything that morning was fuzzy. I managed to clock out of consciousness the second passengers were allowed to put their seats back.

Almost at the gate!

Passed out.

The Hong Kong leg of our conference was spent trying to balance spending time downtown (e.g., Hong Kong Island) and sleeping, as our dorms (yes, dorms) were way out in the New Territories. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, Fulbright did treat us with by arranging dinner and cocktails one evening at the U.S. Consulate General’s House.

The view was stunning. Can I live here? Please?

Oh my god. Nomnomnom.

Macau was a memorable experience, though it was unfortunate that it was raining the majority of the time. The Macau Tourism Board gave every Fulbrighter a red hat that said “MACAU” and had a stitching of the Ruins of St. Paul on it. Though it provided insufficient protection against the rain, it painted an ironic picture (we had become one of those tour groups with color-coordinated outfits) and a few laughs with it, too.

Torrential rain
Soaked through

The Red Sea

We listened to an innumerable amount of droning, monotonous lectures about history, politics, culture in Macau. Despite the many hours wasted spent listening to these lectures, we were given ample time to explore Macau. What better way to explore Macau than to eat Macanese cuisine and go to casinos? Macanese cuisine (Chinese + Portuguese + seafood) was delicious, and I have to admit, their egg tarts are the best I’ve ever had. I was able to wander around the Venetian, the world’s largest casino, though I didn’t gamble. There was an actual man-made canal inside the casino with artificial lighting that made it look like it was daytime. It was ostentatious and over-the-top, but how can it be a casino if it weren’t?

The Venetian

I think this woman’s expression exemplified our lecture series well.

All-in-all, a successful conference. I was able to catch up with many other Fulbrighters whom I haven’t spoken to or seen for a while. It was inspiring to see and hear what everyone was doing with their projects, as well as any happenings and developments–personal and professional—outside of research.

Days away from home: 25
Conferences: 1
Countries: 3-5 (depending on who you ask)
Special Administrative Regions: 2 (Hong Kong, Macau)
Cities: 15+ (Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Halong City/Bay, Dong Dang, Pingxiang, Nanning, Guilin, Yangshuo, Chongqing, Wanzhou, Yichang, Wuhan, Beijing)
Stamps on passport: 12
Delicious meals: innumerable
Cases of diarrhea or food poisoning: zero
Bout of sickness: 1
Days with dehydration-related headaches: several
Modes of transportation: 7 (boat, car, bus, train, airplane, motorbike, walking)
Photographs taken: 1699

(See larger map here.)

My bike is my new best friend. It takes me any and everywhere I need to go. Last Friday, I biked from the post office to a photo developer in Dongcheng District. I arrived at 4:25 only to find out that it closed at 4:00. Then I biked to dinner with a friend, and from there home, for a total of around 15 miles. It was a great bike ride, I saw many things. The downside is that I have inhaled an unfathomable amount of smog that blankets Beijing on most days.

My bike route

Sunset on East Chang’an Ave

Chairman Mao is never alone

The restaurant

Trying to get seated

An empty Tiananmen Square

Earlier this month, my roommate Julia and I found used bikes online. Problem was, they were across the city and you cannot bring bikes onto the subway. So, we thought we’d go on a bike adventure back from our pick-up spots!

Below is a photo of central Beijing. My commute is the blue line, and Julia is the green line. We met up at a point on third ring road and continued together (purple) all the way home. I believe the total distance I biked was around 22 km (13 miles).

Although biking many miles in one day after an extended period of inactivity may not be the smartest thing to do, our bike adventure was worth it. I have to say, biking in Beijing is so different from the subway or taxi. In the subway, I see nothing but the faces of the commuters around me and hear nothing but the bilingual droning of the subway voices announcing which stop we are approaching, and how we should prepare to get off.

On a bike, I feel closer to the things I pass. I see the expressions on people’s faces as they cross the street, wait for the bus, or walk with their children. I see the tall buildings that did not exist a few years ago, and I see even more buildings on their way to join the others. It’s a good way to see the city, and I should get out on my bike more often before the heat [be]comes [unbearable].

On Tuesday, I had this conversation:
Woman at camera shop: Are you from (whispers) Xinjiang?
Me: No, I’m Chinese-American. You thought I was a Uyghur?
Man at camera shop: Uyghur women are very beautiful, you are very beautiful, that is why we asked you. 
Me: Ummm.

I don’t know what goes on in Chinese people’s minds when they get all wound up in determining someone’s ethnic background.  

Last Saturday was my last day in Harbin for a while. I need a break from freezing my ass off. The American students took the train Saturday night  I woke Sunday morning to the melodious voices of propaganda infotainment about the wonderful city of Beijing. After a long haul of heavy, overstuffed backpacks and suitcases to and fro, I was ready to settle in to my new apartment and new life.

In the past week I have spent thousands of yuan on rent, furniture, and appliances with my great new roommate and fellow Fulbrighter, Julia. This includes haggling over the prices of plates and bowls, spending about 6 hours at Ikea, and begging the owner to buy me a desk that isn’t 24 inches wide (think about it, that’s tiny). It’s been tiring physically, mentally, and financially, but things should improve rapidly. I also look forward to using our full-size built-in oven that is so coveted in China/Asia. 

To say the least, I am in love with my new Beijing life (except the air quality part), and hope these next ten months are fulfilling.

French wine, dark chocolate, jazz, sweats，and the feeling that you still got it goin’ on.

Due to extremely poor internet connections (we’re talking 20 minutes to load one single page here), I have failed to update as much as I’d like. In a few hours, I am headed to Shanghai and Nanjing for a little over a week. I have opted not to bring my laptop, which is a bold move on my behalf. I think I will survive.