I'm getting on a bus in 2.5 hours to head to the airport for a 6:30 flight. We get in the same day we leave! Praise God for the International dateline.
This has been a pretty lackluster trip, compared to what I thought it would be. Expectations...they get you every time. As my mother would say mocking Oprah, who has a revelation with seemingly every experience, "It didn't change my life." This may be because I didn't eat any revelatory food. I really like to eat good food. Sometimes, I'm not particular, but in a country known for its food all over the world (in varying forms, of course), I was. It may have also been the complaining from the other group members...or not being able to speak the language, and I am a huge proponent of speaking the country's language. English as the universal language is self-centered, as well as unfair, especially to Esperanto. :)
However, I am very glad for this trip, because it was a privilege, and a struggle to make happen. I might take something away from it later. As I said about another experience I had recently, sometimes an experience has a "time-release" function, like that little ball of detergent--its significance doesn't all release at once, but gradually. So...
Say-chien to Beijing...
Say-chien to China...
Say-chien to blogging!
K.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The sun came out yesterday!
I couldn't blog last night because I was very, very sleepy. I had a long, comical taxi ride (I almost died 8 times...the concept of "stay in your lane" is really just a concept in Beijing) on the way to the hotel I stayed at last time I was in China. Last time, I had a most delicious meal, twice, I remember, which was not recreated last night. :( Sadly :(, I have not had any heart-stopping, breathtaking, soul-stirring meals while I've been here. But I've yet to have the Peking Duck, which is a national specialty, I hear.
I've really loved the way so many things translate here without language. While yes, the Chinese are famous in my mind for their literal translations of American sayings (for example, the picture on Flickr of the sign at the aquarium says, "Please do not buy the tickets from other men" meaning, don't get scalped tickets, buy them at the counter), there are so many things we understand about each other not knowing a word of the others' language. Babies really are cute everywhere. Kids run around excitedly chattering like in the US. I don't know what they're saying, but I can tell how excited they are about the smallest of things. Our cab driver last night thought it was hilarious, as did we, that we had given him the wrong address--the correct one was on the front side of the business card, and he had looked at the back, not knowing. He laughed, and we laughed. When a woman in the car with us, Velisa, got out pictures of her children and passed them to her sister, me, and then my mother, in the front seat, he leaned over to look. Then he got his glasses out so he could really look! He smiled and gave a what? Thumbs-up.
Today, we're headed to a park and an acrobatics show. Tomorrow the Great Wall, and hopefully...clubbing!
I've really loved the way so many things translate here without language. While yes, the Chinese are famous in my mind for their literal translations of American sayings (for example, the picture on Flickr of the sign at the aquarium says, "Please do not buy the tickets from other men" meaning, don't get scalped tickets, buy them at the counter), there are so many things we understand about each other not knowing a word of the others' language. Babies really are cute everywhere. Kids run around excitedly chattering like in the US. I don't know what they're saying, but I can tell how excited they are about the smallest of things. Our cab driver last night thought it was hilarious, as did we, that we had given him the wrong address--the correct one was on the front side of the business card, and he had looked at the back, not knowing. He laughed, and we laughed. When a woman in the car with us, Velisa, got out pictures of her children and passed them to her sister, me, and then my mother, in the front seat, he leaned over to look. Then he got his glasses out so he could really look! He smiled and gave a what? Thumbs-up.
Today, we're headed to a park and an acrobatics show. Tomorrow the Great Wall, and hopefully...clubbing!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Today I Bought...
I saw Serena Williams today. I just wanted to write that. It was SO exciting. The group was waiting for the bus and she was walking in to the Silk Market with some guy. My mother called out "Serena! Serena!" And she smiled bashfully, then turned her head as she walked into Market, where I CLEANED UP. I bought a present for Ms. A Dole, a briefcase/bookbag (those two words just don't do it justice) for myself, as well as a very pretty bright-colored floral-print short blazer for myself. I never wrote about my other purchases--purple shoes for 85 yuan; a bright red Max Mara raincoat; a leather journal; a red band that says "Go, China!" or something like it (at the road race...it's the same as the one that cute baby is wearing); oh, and the best--a black silk pencil skirt. I also had my white graduation dress made. It will be finished on Wednesday.
Today, we went to the Summer Palace, which is where the emperor from Forbidden City spent his "vacation." I told my mother that since it was just a summer home, it had to be more modest, though of course it was freakin' HUGE. But smaller than Forbidden City. So less room for concubines.
We also visited the Beijing Botanical Garden, which was lovely and sooooo peaceful. We saw beautiful flowers, plants, and a new word I learned--topiary.
Tomorrow is...more shopping! And Temple of Heaven.
The pictures won't post, so just go the the Flickr site.
~Fu Long (10 yuan to the first person who can tell me what that means)
Today, we went to the Summer Palace, which is where the emperor from Forbidden City spent his "vacation." I told my mother that since it was just a summer home, it had to be more modest, though of course it was freakin' HUGE. But smaller than Forbidden City. So less room for concubines.
We also visited the Beijing Botanical Garden, which was lovely and sooooo peaceful. We saw beautiful flowers, plants, and a new word I learned--topiary.
Tomorrow is...more shopping! And Temple of Heaven.
The pictures won't post, so just go the the Flickr site.
~Fu Long (10 yuan to the first person who can tell me what that means)
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The sun will come out tomorrow?
So today's anecdote of how I was reminded I'm Black is very different. We went to see the urban road race (cycling) and I got stopped by Chinese and Russians asking to take a picture with me. They said, "You are very beautiful," but that makes little sense to me--if you've never seen a Black person before, what is your frame of reference?
The Russians were especially funny. I talked to them in Russian and they talked back in English. Two of them wrapped their arms around me, and one asked for my phone number. I can't believe someone tried to holla in China! Also, one of our guides, Dan Wu, was asked for her screen name by a man who was especially excited to see my Black self. One guy took two pictures of me with each of his family members, and there were a lot. I felt like Kobe Bryant.
The cycling was bizarre. We stood at the start line, and faster than you could say Peking duck, they were out of sight. So that was weird. It was like the Kentucky Derby--so much excitement over a few moments.
In a few, we're going to the Beijing Opera. I was disappointed to find out that you don't have to dress up to go. Obviously, I'm going to dress up. I brought a cute little 50s number. Tomorrow, we get fitted for our tailor-made (every time I say that, I think of that desperate white man on I Love New York. Sad.) outfits.
Before I leave, I'm determined to go dancing. Two ladies in our group went to the Susie Wong club where there was a Black DJ! Okay! I'm about to go. As well as a jazz club, though I heard that sometimes the jazz is not jazz but the Beatles, the Bee Gees, and that sort of thing.
Here is a link to pictures on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/kbreezyonthemic
A few favorites from today:
This baby smiled right on cue when I held up the camera. He did the same for one of our group members.
In America, most men wouldn't be caught dead holding one of these things.
I don't know what their purpose was, but they were sharp.
And a video of a Westerner gettin' it with some belly dancing lady:
The Russians were especially funny. I talked to them in Russian and they talked back in English. Two of them wrapped their arms around me, and one asked for my phone number. I can't believe someone tried to holla in China! Also, one of our guides, Dan Wu, was asked for her screen name by a man who was especially excited to see my Black self. One guy took two pictures of me with each of his family members, and there were a lot. I felt like Kobe Bryant.
The cycling was bizarre. We stood at the start line, and faster than you could say Peking duck, they were out of sight. So that was weird. It was like the Kentucky Derby--so much excitement over a few moments.
In a few, we're going to the Beijing Opera. I was disappointed to find out that you don't have to dress up to go. Obviously, I'm going to dress up. I brought a cute little 50s number. Tomorrow, we get fitted for our tailor-made (every time I say that, I think of that desperate white man on I Love New York. Sad.) outfits.
Before I leave, I'm determined to go dancing. Two ladies in our group went to the Susie Wong club where there was a Black DJ! Okay! I'm about to go. As well as a jazz club, though I heard that sometimes the jazz is not jazz but the Beatles, the Bee Gees, and that sort of thing.
Here is a link to pictures on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/kbreezyonthemic
A few favorites from today:
This baby smiled right on cue when I held up the camera. He did the same for one of our group members.
In America, most men wouldn't be caught dead holding one of these things.
I don't know what their purpose was, but they were sharp.And a video of a Westerner gettin' it with some belly dancing lady:
Friday, August 8, 2008
China or Bust
So I've felt myself slipping into ignorant Americanism a few times here. By ignorant, I mean both uninformed and defiant of learning or trying new things. One of the ways I experienced the former was last night.
As I wrote yesterday (it might say the eighth, still, but here, it's the ninth), a big group of us decided to rent our tour bus and head down to the opening ceremony in the Olympic Park, by the National Stadium. It was incredibly exciting going down there, because we were walking fast, and we were all abuzz about seeing the fireworks, the lighted Bird's Nest stadium, and most importantly, the opening ceremony on one of the big screens, the largest "TV" screens in the world.
Once we got there, we tried to find a good place for all 40-odd of us to stand. Keeping the group together wasn't so bad, because there really are no Black people in China (so please don't talk about Maine). We couldn't stand outside of the Bird's Nest, of course, because that was all blocked off. We found a standing place under a bridge where we could see TWO of the big screens.
So the clock struck 8:05, and a great big burst of gold fireworks went off. The Chinese started shouting, and I thought something terrible had happened (because I didn't see the fireworks). (But my heart recovered). But then, 8:08 comes. Nothing on the screens but a film loop of fireworks, stuff in Chinese, aerial video game-type shots of Beijing. As I would comment to someone later, it looked like the loop on a DVD about Beijing before you press play.
It got later and later, and there were hardly any more fireworks, and the opening ceremony was still not on these super-duper-trons. Our tour guide, a Chinese woman named Emily, told us they would not be showing the opening ceremony.
So we were all pretty disappointed. I kept saying, Why all this hype to play a film loop? But back on the bus, a woman named Carla, who has traveled a lot, and now lives near Dubai, told me to stop using my American logic to rationalize the policies of a Communist, third-world country. The Chinese government had to control the crowds they knew would arrive to watch the opening ceremony, so they just didn't show it.
This is the perfect example of why so much of the griping on this trip is unjustified. Much of what has gone wrong has been out of our control, because hi, it's China. They don't have the same liberties that we do in the US. That's not a plug for the US, with which I have a love/hate relationship. It's only to say that they are controlled in ways that we are not. We are controlled in ways they are not. As the woman Carla said, we're all subject to propaganda and corruption; but those two things manifest themselves in different forms and different language.
So I missed a good deal of the opening ceremony, but what I did see, the white-robed people dancing was incredible. I also saw our friend Victor from Paraguay carrying their flag.
As we were leaving, I mentioned to someone that it felt like a scene from Independence Day. It felt like we were evacuating the city, and I didn't like that feeling. I guess that means I'm still a little fearful about being here. But I've had a great time so far. This experience is surreal, even though it's not my first time here.
Today, because we can't go to the Great Wall (the government has blocked it off until the 14th), we're going to the Silk Market and Wangfujing Street, which apparently is the Rodeo Drive of China.
I think everyday I should include an anecdote of how I was reminded that I'm Black. Well, last night, in the opening ceremony crowd, this woman who looked not Chinese, but maybe from some part farther West, or some other Eastern country, came up to me and rubbed my arm with her finger, I guess (and it truly is a guess) to see if my paint would come off. Sorry. I'm Black4Life.
Kyla
a bridge near a megatron
a man on a bicycle last night in the crowd
the Bird's Nest!
As I wrote yesterday (it might say the eighth, still, but here, it's the ninth), a big group of us decided to rent our tour bus and head down to the opening ceremony in the Olympic Park, by the National Stadium. It was incredibly exciting going down there, because we were walking fast, and we were all abuzz about seeing the fireworks, the lighted Bird's Nest stadium, and most importantly, the opening ceremony on one of the big screens, the largest "TV" screens in the world.
Once we got there, we tried to find a good place for all 40-odd of us to stand. Keeping the group together wasn't so bad, because there really are no Black people in China (so please don't talk about Maine). We couldn't stand outside of the Bird's Nest, of course, because that was all blocked off. We found a standing place under a bridge where we could see TWO of the big screens.
So the clock struck 8:05, and a great big burst of gold fireworks went off. The Chinese started shouting, and I thought something terrible had happened (because I didn't see the fireworks). (But my heart recovered). But then, 8:08 comes. Nothing on the screens but a film loop of fireworks, stuff in Chinese, aerial video game-type shots of Beijing. As I would comment to someone later, it looked like the loop on a DVD about Beijing before you press play.
It got later and later, and there were hardly any more fireworks, and the opening ceremony was still not on these super-duper-trons. Our tour guide, a Chinese woman named Emily, told us they would not be showing the opening ceremony.
So we were all pretty disappointed. I kept saying, Why all this hype to play a film loop? But back on the bus, a woman named Carla, who has traveled a lot, and now lives near Dubai, told me to stop using my American logic to rationalize the policies of a Communist, third-world country. The Chinese government had to control the crowds they knew would arrive to watch the opening ceremony, so they just didn't show it.
This is the perfect example of why so much of the griping on this trip is unjustified. Much of what has gone wrong has been out of our control, because hi, it's China. They don't have the same liberties that we do in the US. That's not a plug for the US, with which I have a love/hate relationship. It's only to say that they are controlled in ways that we are not. We are controlled in ways they are not. As the woman Carla said, we're all subject to propaganda and corruption; but those two things manifest themselves in different forms and different language.
So I missed a good deal of the opening ceremony, but what I did see, the white-robed people dancing was incredible. I also saw our friend Victor from Paraguay carrying their flag.
As we were leaving, I mentioned to someone that it felt like a scene from Independence Day. It felt like we were evacuating the city, and I didn't like that feeling. I guess that means I'm still a little fearful about being here. But I've had a great time so far. This experience is surreal, even though it's not my first time here.
Today, because we can't go to the Great Wall (the government has blocked it off until the 14th), we're going to the Silk Market and Wangfujing Street, which apparently is the Rodeo Drive of China.
I think everyday I should include an anecdote of how I was reminded that I'm Black. Well, last night, in the opening ceremony crowd, this woman who looked not Chinese, but maybe from some part farther West, or some other Eastern country, came up to me and rubbed my arm with her finger, I guess (and it truly is a guess) to see if my paint would come off. Sorry. I'm Black4Life.
Kyla
a bridge near a megatron
a man on a bicycle last night in the crowd
the Bird's Nest!
Drama in Beijing
This trip is getting to be stressful. Everyone is on edge, and as the coordinator's stepdaughter, who is viewed as a daughter, I feel a lot of pressure, tension, unease, etc. As I mentioned, there are a lot of really disgruntled people---people who have complained through every moment, and when not complaining about the current "problem" reminisce over yesterday's. I'm not supposed to be involved in any of this, and a lot of people do not know I'm related to the coordinator of the events, but who knows what they'll learn in a week. My stepbrother has already been cussed out a bunch of times by persnickety people. It makes me really sad that all these Black people in freaking Beijing, China can't get along. We're not supposed to fall in love with one another, but can we at least be decent?
Okay, my rant is done. Today, we went on a bus tour of Beijing. We saw the Bird's Nest! It's amazing. Of course, it's very overcast, smoggy, whatever, but we still got to see it and take pictures. In a few, we're headed down to be a part of the energy of the opening ceremony. Pictures! Unforch, my camera is JANKY, but I'll make it work. Once in a lifetime opportunity. What I heard is that Beijing is shutting down tonight because this is such a special occasion. People will be at home with their families, watching.
We also saw the CCTV tower, which at 405 meters, (almost a mile high) is the third tallest building in the world. Go, China. The cool thing is that I have a cousin who works for CCTV! His name is Tony, and we've never met, but we tryin', man, we tryin'.
Then, we went to this park called...Houhui? H-H. There was tons o' shopping, and I picked up a few things. THE BEST THING EVER was that this Tibetan man greeted me in his shop with a fist-bump, jab, dap, etc., etc. I said, Man, Obama's bout to rule the world.
I think I'm going with a good group to the Olympic Park. I can't take grown-ups whining. Two people who are going are newlyweds Art and Sonya, and they wrote my stepfather a beautiful letter expressing their gratitude for all his hard work. They are two of a good number who applauded at the group meeting in which a lot of people (old people who should know better, too) were loudly griping.
Also, we can't go to the Great Wall tomorrow, because it has been closed off for the Olympics. I don't know why that is, but the trip is being rescheduled. We're also going to do more shopping, perhaps the Beijing Opera, and the cycling on Sunday.
Can I concede one thing? I'm really "sorry" that there are so many upset people who want their impossible-to-get Olympics tickets, but sports are boring! I've been to the Olympics before, and though I was young, I still understood that keen sense of ennui. The best part, for me, of any public event is the people you will meet and talk to. Like this trip, for example--I've gotten to make new friends (and surrogate parents, shouts out to Dr. Waafo and Dr. Bowman), and see some old ones, people I've known since childhood. And I think that beats shotput any day.
K$Breezy
Okay, my rant is done. Today, we went on a bus tour of Beijing. We saw the Bird's Nest! It's amazing. Of course, it's very overcast, smoggy, whatever, but we still got to see it and take pictures. In a few, we're headed down to be a part of the energy of the opening ceremony. Pictures! Unforch, my camera is JANKY, but I'll make it work. Once in a lifetime opportunity. What I heard is that Beijing is shutting down tonight because this is such a special occasion. People will be at home with their families, watching.
We also saw the CCTV tower, which at 405 meters, (almost a mile high) is the third tallest building in the world. Go, China. The cool thing is that I have a cousin who works for CCTV! His name is Tony, and we've never met, but we tryin', man, we tryin'.
Then, we went to this park called...Houhui? H-H. There was tons o' shopping, and I picked up a few things. THE BEST THING EVER was that this Tibetan man greeted me in his shop with a fist-bump, jab, dap, etc., etc. I said, Man, Obama's bout to rule the world.
I think I'm going with a good group to the Olympic Park. I can't take grown-ups whining. Two people who are going are newlyweds Art and Sonya, and they wrote my stepfather a beautiful letter expressing their gratitude for all his hard work. They are two of a good number who applauded at the group meeting in which a lot of people (old people who should know better, too) were loudly griping.
Also, we can't go to the Great Wall tomorrow, because it has been closed off for the Olympics. I don't know why that is, but the trip is being rescheduled. We're also going to do more shopping, perhaps the Beijing Opera, and the cycling on Sunday.
Can I concede one thing? I'm really "sorry" that there are so many upset people who want their impossible-to-get Olympics tickets, but sports are boring! I've been to the Olympics before, and though I was young, I still understood that keen sense of ennui. The best part, for me, of any public event is the people you will meet and talk to. Like this trip, for example--I've gotten to make new friends (and surrogate parents, shouts out to Dr. Waafo and Dr. Bowman), and see some old ones, people I've known since childhood. And I think that beats shotput any day.
K$Breezy
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Toiling
So apparently, I have the face of an eight year-old. Everyone I've met on this trip has been incredibly shocked to find out I'm in college. I feel like one of those people who resembles a celebrity, and gets told all the time, or maybe someone who broke her leg, and gets asked constantly how it happened.
Today the VERY disgruntled group went to Tian'eman (sp.??????) Square, and the Forbidden City. T-Square, we all know, but I had forgotten what the Forbidden City was. Well. It's where the emperor from one of the dynasties lived with his 200 concubines. The interesting thing about the concubines is that once they entered the Forbidden City, they could not leave. They had to die their way out. Also, it's called the Forbidden City because no one but the emperor and his many concubines could enter, and City because it is HUGE. We saw the emperor's (I'm sorry I don't know his name) many thrones. There were tons more rooms of the palace which we didn't see.
About the unhappy campers: We don't exactly have Olympic tickets. Some from the big corporations will free up soon, but of course, there are no guarantees. A lot of group members are understandably upset, but they have been VERY rude. Which I don't understand. There is no excuse to be vicious in Beijing or out. Oh, well.
I plan on writing a poem about my experiences here called "Toiling." My manuscript, my little baby, teeny weeny manuscript is called Looks, and one facet of that word's meaning I'm talking about is privilege. No matter what I look like, I have immense privilege in this country as a Westerner. But they know I'm a Westerner, because I'm Black. We haggled for hours in the bargain basement mall, and what little we pay is a lot, but probably not enough for those merchants, who must make tons of sales to survive. Some of them were amusing, but for some, the desperation was painful. It's like not being able to feed your child, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of those people have experienced that, or will experience it. There are people in every country sitting in their big white houses, and very far below are the people toiling to keep it that way, for the little that is theirs. And because of Europe's universal presence, it is the fairer-skinned people who often prevail. We got asked quite a lot to take pictures today, especially my stepbrother, Lem, because he has locs (if only I'd had my fro out). So we're a novelty here, but of course, as my mother said regarding the mammy statue, "we're disrespected everywhere."
K$Breezy
At Big Mike Club--Hip-Hop store (Wo bou zhu dao)
in the hotel lobby
Today the VERY disgruntled group went to Tian'eman (sp.??????) Square, and the Forbidden City. T-Square, we all know, but I had forgotten what the Forbidden City was. Well. It's where the emperor from one of the dynasties lived with his 200 concubines. The interesting thing about the concubines is that once they entered the Forbidden City, they could not leave. They had to die their way out. Also, it's called the Forbidden City because no one but the emperor and his many concubines could enter, and City because it is HUGE. We saw the emperor's (I'm sorry I don't know his name) many thrones. There were tons more rooms of the palace which we didn't see.
About the unhappy campers: We don't exactly have Olympic tickets. Some from the big corporations will free up soon, but of course, there are no guarantees. A lot of group members are understandably upset, but they have been VERY rude. Which I don't understand. There is no excuse to be vicious in Beijing or out. Oh, well.
I plan on writing a poem about my experiences here called "Toiling." My manuscript, my little baby, teeny weeny manuscript is called Looks, and one facet of that word's meaning I'm talking about is privilege. No matter what I look like, I have immense privilege in this country as a Westerner. But they know I'm a Westerner, because I'm Black. We haggled for hours in the bargain basement mall, and what little we pay is a lot, but probably not enough for those merchants, who must make tons of sales to survive. Some of them were amusing, but for some, the desperation was painful. It's like not being able to feed your child, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of those people have experienced that, or will experience it. There are people in every country sitting in their big white houses, and very far below are the people toiling to keep it that way, for the little that is theirs. And because of Europe's universal presence, it is the fairer-skinned people who often prevail. We got asked quite a lot to take pictures today, especially my stepbrother, Lem, because he has locs (if only I'd had my fro out). So we're a novelty here, but of course, as my mother said regarding the mammy statue, "we're disrespected everywhere."
K$Breezy
At Big Mike Club--Hip-Hop store (Wo bou zhu dao)
in the hotel lobby
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
"Is it foggy or smoggy?"
Today, I went shopping with two ladies from South Carolina who are on the trip with us. We met in D.C., and I could tell from the start they were fun, smart, and not crazy, meaning we would get along. (sometimes, there are crazy people on group trips.)
So we started off with this older woman named Evelyn, but she had trouble walking, so we took her back to the hotel and then set off into the madness that is the Not-West. Did you know that pedestrians do not have the right of way here in Beijing? Or maybe we do, but certainly no one respects that. You either have to speed up, slow down, or stop when a car is coming. Thankfully, there are traffic lights for us humble bicycle- and car-less folks, but goodness---they really don't help much. So there were moments when I thought (again) that I would die in China. Or at least get seriously injured.
We found an expensive mall, and a "bargain basement" type mall. The expensive mall had dresses to make a girl's heart sing. The bargain basement, Big Lots-type place didn't, not so much. And at the latter, you could haggle. This is what I heard all day:
"Lady! Lady! Lady! LADY!"
"Friend! Friend! Friend! FRIEND!"
"Beautiful girl!"
"You are beautiful girl. Everyone else get this price, but for you..."
And of course, there was the priceless grab-my-wrist-and-drag-me-back-into-the-store move that made me want to shout "Security!"
I bought a yellow jade necklace that I know Michelle Obama would approve of (big round stones). Also a purse, and a halter dress.
I found an upright piano in the hotel, so I'm going to go play later. After I get measured for my tailor-made clothes.
Tomorrow, we do La Gran Muralia (I learned how to say that on this trip! Ah, to practice my Spanish in China), which is the Great Wall, and also, the Ming Tombs. I can't wait for the Great Wall, because a picture on it would prove the best Facebook picture EVER. Gooooo Gen-Y.
K$Breezy
So we started off with this older woman named Evelyn, but she had trouble walking, so we took her back to the hotel and then set off into the madness that is the Not-West. Did you know that pedestrians do not have the right of way here in Beijing? Or maybe we do, but certainly no one respects that. You either have to speed up, slow down, or stop when a car is coming. Thankfully, there are traffic lights for us humble bicycle- and car-less folks, but goodness---they really don't help much. So there were moments when I thought (again) that I would die in China. Or at least get seriously injured.
We found an expensive mall, and a "bargain basement" type mall. The expensive mall had dresses to make a girl's heart sing. The bargain basement, Big Lots-type place didn't, not so much. And at the latter, you could haggle. This is what I heard all day:
"Lady! Lady! Lady! LADY!"
"Friend! Friend! Friend! FRIEND!"
"Beautiful girl!"
"You are beautiful girl. Everyone else get this price, but for you..."
And of course, there was the priceless grab-my-wrist-and-drag-me-back-into-the-store move that made me want to shout "Security!"
I bought a yellow jade necklace that I know Michelle Obama would approve of (big round stones). Also a purse, and a halter dress.
I found an upright piano in the hotel, so I'm going to go play later. After I get measured for my tailor-made clothes.
Tomorrow, we do La Gran Muralia (I learned how to say that on this trip! Ah, to practice my Spanish in China), which is the Great Wall, and also, the Ming Tombs. I can't wait for the Great Wall, because a picture on it would prove the best Facebook picture EVER. Gooooo Gen-Y.
K$Breezy
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
What Day Is It?
So I'm here. Our flight got in at 2 pm China-time (or whatever it's called) 2 am your time, my lovely ESTers. The flight was BOOOOOOORING.
Before we got on the plane, I had a little conversation with a javelin thrower from Paraguay. He was with his delegation in the airport sitting near my all-Black group (Sidebar: If CNN can do Black in America, then I certainly can do Black in Beijing). So I went to say hi to him and his crew---in Spanish, of course. We made small little chit chats in English, Spanish, and a little Japanese (Victor, the Olympian, confuses China with Japan.) I told him my name and he kept saying it! with a particular stress on the y, like my name was made for his language: Kyyyyyyyla, Kyyyyyyla. On the plane he winked at me and also pinched my tush. Okay, I made that last part up.
Somehow, our initial group is 100% bona fide Negro. With maybe a little something else mixed in, somewhere. So far, the Chinese have been kind. I guess they have to get used to seeing dark people at some point. The sucky thing, though, was that I saw a Mammy statue in a restaurant in our hotel. Hair wrapped in a scarf, a big, dark woman serving a plate. Red lips and all. "We're disrespected everywhere," my mother said when I told her.
Other than that, I'm living easy. My hotel is...how do you say...G'ed out? No, no, no, that's not it. It's pretty chic, is what it is.
We still don't have tickets to any of the games. Our group is over 200 people, and the ticket-sellers wouldn't sell tickets in bundles of more than eight. One thing we are going to see is bicycle road racing. Because it's free.
Pictoriagraphs:
I've been inducted into the Sacred Circle of Chinese-dom. This is my Members Only hat (plus my passport)
Um, my HOTEL ROOM.
Before we got on the plane, I had a little conversation with a javelin thrower from Paraguay. He was with his delegation in the airport sitting near my all-Black group (Sidebar: If CNN can do Black in America, then I certainly can do Black in Beijing). So I went to say hi to him and his crew---in Spanish, of course. We made small little chit chats in English, Spanish, and a little Japanese (Victor, the Olympian, confuses China with Japan.) I told him my name and he kept saying it! with a particular stress on the y, like my name was made for his language: Kyyyyyyyla, Kyyyyyyla. On the plane he winked at me and also pinched my tush. Okay, I made that last part up.
Somehow, our initial group is 100% bona fide Negro. With maybe a little something else mixed in, somewhere. So far, the Chinese have been kind. I guess they have to get used to seeing dark people at some point. The sucky thing, though, was that I saw a Mammy statue in a restaurant in our hotel. Hair wrapped in a scarf, a big, dark woman serving a plate. Red lips and all. "We're disrespected everywhere," my mother said when I told her.
Other than that, I'm living easy. My hotel is...how do you say...G'ed out? No, no, no, that's not it. It's pretty chic, is what it is.
We still don't have tickets to any of the games. Our group is over 200 people, and the ticket-sellers wouldn't sell tickets in bundles of more than eight. One thing we are going to see is bicycle road racing. Because it's free.
Pictoriagraphs:
I've been inducted into the Sacred Circle of Chinese-dom. This is my Members Only hat (plus my passport)
Um, my HOTEL ROOM.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
A Foggy Day Pre-Chinatown
Good morning.
It's Sunday here in Scarborough, Maine, raining and thundering. I'm headed to China in 24 hours! In 24(-ish) hours, I will be on a plane, first to D.C., and then to Chiner.
I'm a little worried. Just a little. On Slate.com, they posted a big, long list of all the things that could go wrong during the Games. The problems ranged from locusts (that's right, they're making a comeback) to terrorism. Or as our beloved president would say, "tourism." I guess I'm worried that I'll get blown up/kidnapped/separated from my mother, which is why I have bought a leash to tie around my waist, which she will hold. Better safe than lost in a sea of terrorists/tourists.
We (my group of 200+) have a lot of plans for the trip. Plan one is get measured for tailor-made clothes! I've been sketching designs and dog-earing things in Vogue that I want made. Then we're headed to the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Forbidden City, etc., etc....Wow. Even the Great Wall comes second to fashion.
I had been trying to get out of this trip, but now I'm excited to go. I'm especially excited to eat and shop. If I can just remember, I'm excited, I'm excited, I'll stop feeling so worried.
I plan on blogging every day, because I can't possibly be occupied with sightseeing the entire time. I'm gointer take lots of pictures, and post them on Facebook, and flickr (www.flickr.com/kbreezyonthemic). And I'm gonna have fuuuuuuun.
K$Breezy
It's Sunday here in Scarborough, Maine, raining and thundering. I'm headed to China in 24 hours! In 24(-ish) hours, I will be on a plane, first to D.C., and then to Chiner.
I'm a little worried. Just a little. On Slate.com, they posted a big, long list of all the things that could go wrong during the Games. The problems ranged from locusts (that's right, they're making a comeback) to terrorism. Or as our beloved president would say, "tourism." I guess I'm worried that I'll get blown up/kidnapped/separated from my mother, which is why I have bought a leash to tie around my waist, which she will hold. Better safe than lost in a sea of terrorists/tourists.
We (my group of 200+) have a lot of plans for the trip. Plan one is get measured for tailor-made clothes! I've been sketching designs and dog-earing things in Vogue that I want made. Then we're headed to the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Forbidden City, etc., etc....Wow. Even the Great Wall comes second to fashion.
I had been trying to get out of this trip, but now I'm excited to go. I'm especially excited to eat and shop. If I can just remember, I'm excited, I'm excited, I'll stop feeling so worried.
I plan on blogging every day, because I can't possibly be occupied with sightseeing the entire time. I'm gointer take lots of pictures, and post them on Facebook, and flickr (www.flickr.com/kbreezyonthemic). And I'm gonna have fuuuuuuun.
K$Breezy
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