noodles and kung fu.

At work there are only four of us Purdue students in a section with at least twenty Chinese students. We are the only foreigners, and thus, novelties. There's Val, who has beautiful dark skin thanks to her Mexican heritage... Christina with adorable red hair... Chris who is 6'3" and towers over everyone in this country and me, the girl with the "beautiful name." As a group, we stand out in a crowd among our Chinese counterparts (except sometimes, as Christina said, Val and I can be hard to point out due to our dark hair). All of the Chinese students are eager to practice their English with us (which is all really impressive and makes me feel guilty for not knowing Mandarin... and for never considering it as an option) and are so helpful.

Yesterday after work one of our friends said he would take us out for noodles, since we had asked if he knew any good noodle places. Well, in true Chinese hospitality for guests, our entire group from the cycling venue went out with us... and when it was time to pay the bill, it had magically been "taken care of" for the four Purdue students. We were obviously grateful, and laughed when we found out that they had all been discussing in Chinese how they were paying for our meals... right in front of us (another practical example of why Mandarin could be handy).

The food was great too... I had a spicy noodle dish that tasted like the best Pad Thai I could imagine, tasty tasty spring rolls (not like what you would expect from a spring roll, though) and some popular dessert known as Bing Shan or translated, "iceberg." It is a pile of shaved ice topped with everything. And by everything I mean black, red and green beans... mango... mashmallowy things that were not American marshmallows... several kinds of jelly (like what we would consider jell-o)... cherries... different marshmallowy things... and all kinds of other surprises. The crazy thing... it was delicious. All of it. We even got another mound of shaved ice with just black beans on it... also delicious. I am amazed at all of the new tastes I have found here... things I can't even explain because I have never experienced anything like it before.

After dinner (all still wearing our matching volunteer uniforms) we headed to movies because (again, in great hospitality) one of our friends bought us all tickets to go see Kung Fu Panda. The movie theater was the craziest place I had ever seen and looked like a city inside. I didn't know if I was in a hologram or if I could really reach out and touch it. I feel like a lot of thing here are like that... over-the-top extravagant with bold colors and unlikely design.

Since we were early for the movie, the arcade seemed to be calling our names. After crashing my race car and tearin' it up on the basketball court I made my debut at arcade shooting games. Yes, I played House of Death IV with my automatic machine gun and killed lots of zombies. I must say, it was unexpectedly fun and I hope to shoot many zombies in the future.

As for the movie, if you haven't seen Kung Fu Panda you're missing out. It was in English with Chinese sub-titles, so that was great for us. Plus, watching a movie set in China while in China was pretty cool. (I would compare it to watching The Little Mermaid while actually under the sea.) Some of the jokes were things I think I only understood because I've been here for almost a month. The animation and graphics were great and Jack Black, always a favorite of mine, was a pretty awesome panda.

We treated ourselves to a taxi ride home rather than the subway and got back home at almost midnight... a long day indeed. I showered in the hottest shower I've had since I arrived (my logic is that the later in the day you shower, the hotter your water... 8am showers are still pretty icy), and fell into bed.

Another great day in China.

what's in a name.

Most of our Chinese friends at work introduce themselves with their Chinese name... and then by their English name, which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their Chinese name. They say they do it because it is easier for us to remember and pronounce. As someone who's first name is often mispronounced (btw, Mom, the Chinese people understand your logic... they all say it perfectly the first time), I would never say to someone, "Hello, my name is Alysha (uh-lee-sha), but you can call me Tina if that is easier." For this reason, I try my very best to pronounce our friends' Chinese names and use those names (their real names) rather than take the easy out with the English version.

As it turns out, most of the students knew my name from reading the list before I even arrived(and they have not been shy in telling me this) because they "thought it was so beautiful!" and "sounded Russian!," (an interesting observation since I am fifty percent Russian---though my name is not traditional and I don't speak a word of Russian). And I did meet a girl named Di Yisha... the closest I've found to Alysha.

And adding to that, I thought it only fair that I ask for a Chinese name, even though they can all pronounce mine fine. I was given the name "Sha Li" because it sounds similar to my English name and it means beautiful jasmine (like the flower). However, if you say it with the wrong tone, it means stupid. Now I am trying to master writing the characters for it.

Speaking of writing characters, watching someone write Chinese characters is fascinating and I am convinced it requires at least thirty percent more brain power than writing English or another language based off the Greek alphabet. It has to be extremely neat, or you risk your characters meaning the wrong thing... and each character has to be written from up to down and left to right. No exceptions. Another thing there are no exceptions on... everyone is right-handed. Perhaps by now, in a culture that has trained all people to use their right hand as their dominant hand, all people have evolved and are born right-handed. I'd like to see a Punnet Square for that one.

The reason these conversations all began was because we had to hand in a written response at work. I, as usual, employed my "All Caps, All the Time," writing style, lining it up perfectly on a blank page of typing paper by using a lined sheet underneath. It's just something I enjoy, writing neatly, that is. Well when all pages were turned in, I noticed a group forming around a page they were holding up and passing around... I could tell right away that it was mine. I don't know if the Chinese students were just fascinated by my English writing, or by my distinct font... either way, they ate it up.

i've got some scorpion in my teeth.

I know several of you have cautioned me about the things I may or may not be eating here in China. But what fun is the Beijing Night Market without throwing a little caution to the wind?

The Night Market is every evening, and you can eat as much lamb testicle, centipede and snake as you want. About 40 stalls line up along a street, kind of like the Taste of Beijing, except the food vendors are very aggressive. "Hey, I love you, eat my snake," was one of the things yelled to us... quite the pick up line.

After the initial overwhelming feeling of all of this crazy "exotic" food, we wanted to sink our teeth into something. I started with a skewer of caramelized fruit... delicious. But since we didn't have much time, we went straight for the scorpions. And not the big ones, just the little ones. The vendor fried them up for us, and we were off.

Surprisingly, you just pop the whole thing in your mouth... tail, eyes, legs... everything. Even more surprising is how much it tasted like popcorn. Salty, crunchy, pretty good for scorpion if you ask me. In fact, I sort of wanted more. (I'm also pretty sure I had a scorpion leg wedged between two teeth.)

We're all planning on going back before we leave. I'm hoping to eat things so disgusting you can't even imagine. (Except shrimp. Gross.)

sexist hat-ism.

Yesterday at work was the day we've all been waiting for... Olympic Uniform Day. Free swag. Cool swag. Adidas swag.

The entire process of dishing out uniforms to 25 people took... not kidding... over 3.5 hours. Systems of efficiency here are non-existent. There was little organization, and a lot of wasted time. We moved boxes from one place... to another place... to another place. We walked with those boxes from one place... to another place... to another place. We opened up boxes... stared at them... stared at them some more. We began to distribute the loot... confusion... confusion... confusion.

We American eager beavers were practically having anxiety attacks watching this happen. We just wanted to jump up and yell, "It's not that difficult, folks!" Finally, someone stepped up and explained what, to us, was the obvious way to complete the task. The Chinese volunteers were amazed... and, after some careful thought, went along with it only to find that we got the job done in about fifteen minutes.

As Americans, we're taught that wasted time is bad... efficiency is good. We're told ways to multitask. We learn how to delegate. It's just what we do. Quite the contrary here.

Anyhow, we got our bags of gear... three shirts... two pairs of pants that zip into shorts (money)... one jacket... one rain poncho... one fanny pack with water bottle... one pair of shoes... three pairs of socks... oh yeah, and one hat. ONE hat. And here's where I get upset... the hat you recieve is determined by your sex.

All this time I was prepared to recieve two hats... a bucket hat, and a baseball cap. Oh, but no. Because I am female, I recieved only the bucket hat. Girls=buckets. Boys=baseball. What.

You might think I am crazy... someone hands me a bag full of clothing that would retail for at least $300 USD, and I get jazzed about a hat. Well yes. A bucket hat? Really? I look like a fool in it. And I love baseball caps. But noooooo, I'm a girrrrrrl. And even after a clever attempt to switch it out... and even more clever attempts to trade (btw, trading a bucket hat for a baseball cap is like trading a 1990 Grey Corsica for a Benz... never gonna happen)... I am stuck with the bucket.

And that's all we did at work. Four hours of uniform distribution. Popsicles on the way home.

the 801.

I have recently received inquiries about what our living quarters look like, and although I took these photos the first day we moved in, I have simply neglected to post them. Please enjoy how clean our room looks, as it is no longer in such pristine condition (however, we are not even close to having the dirtiest room here). Also, we think the cleaning ladies have stopped mopping our room... perhaps they don't like when they come in to empty the trash at 10am and we are all still in bed.

Please enjoy this tour of our humble abode at Communications University of China.

This is the entry to our room, on the left you will find our combination bathroom/laundry room (handwash only, of course). Notice the shower/toilet combination. This makes for great multitasking, and minimizes the need to wash the bathroom floor since you basically flood the whole place when you take a shower. It is important to not leave the roll of toilet paper in the "showering area" or you will have a sad soggy mess.

Starting from the left, and working our way around the room, allow me to show your our beds. This is the nicest they have ever looked... except every Monday when the cleaning ladies come and change our sheets. The only problem with is that usually we are (once again) still in bed when they come to do this. We're not bums, promise. You will also notice a strange box between the beds. This is actually a master control switchbox with switches for all lights and outlets in the room. Convenient.
Megan's desk and the window.

My desk, the TV we have turned on I think once and our water jug. There are a couple drawers under the TV, and each bed has two underneath. Perfect for when you actually do laundry and have clean clothes to put away.

But wait, before you go, check out the view from the window. The track and athletic areas are all right outside our window. It's great for listening to the guy who sings Chinese opera while he jogs every morning. No joke, the physical activity of this culture is something to see. I'll see if I can't creep on some people during their morning workouts and give you some insight as to what we get to enjoy every single day.

It's no penthouse, but we call it home. And with a Western toilet, a/c and fresh sheet Mondays, how could I complain?

photo assistant extraordinaire.

When you think of work... do you think of arriving at 8 or 9am, powering through the morning, taking maybe (if you're lucky) an hour for lunch, struggling through the afternoon and then trudging home around 5 or 6pm?

When you think of work... do you think of productivity, meetings, e-mails, accomplishing tasks and completing projects?

Or when you think of work... do you think of playing games like Mafia (Sarah... the Chinese people love this game), napping, taking two hours for lunch and riding motorized scooters around?

Because let me tell you what the past three days of "working" at the Laoshan Cycling Velodrome have been like. First, we catch the subway at about 7:30, play musical subway and jockey for a seat for our hour and a half train ride to Laoshan. Then, we arrive and ease our way into things with a morning training session that may or may not last for about 30 minutes. We exchange Chinese and English cultural knowledge with our colleagues until lunch around 11 or 11:30, and then proceed to nap, read or just "have a rest" in general until 1:30. Then another training session or two takes place, perhaps a tour of the Velodrome, mountain bike course and BMX track and some more hanging out follows. Finally, we all engage in Chinese-English communication barrier games trying to get to know our team... and we call it a day around 3:30pm so that we don't have to hit rush hour on the way home. A popsicle on the way to the subway, and we're good to go.

Honestly, it's not "work," it's just fun. We're getting to know the venue we will be working at, as well as the team working with the photographers that we are working with. There are about twelve of us all together, four Purdue students and the rest CUC students from all over China. Our managers are the coolest people ever and have worked as photographers and journalists all over China, as well as an "Overseas Expert" from Australia and an event consultant from Switzerland. They have all worked Olympic Games before and are super great to talk to.

Even though we do get a little bored... minus taking the scooters out for a high-speed spin today... we know that once the Games start, there won't be a dull moment. Our jobs as Photo Assistants basically make us the right-hand-men (and/or women) to the photogs. We're talking about me, Alysha, wearing a sweet photographer's vest, in the middle of a cycling track (while events are running), telling photographers where they can and cannot stand/sit/kneel, getting them any information they need and helping them in the photo work room after the event is over. Not only will I feel the sweat of Olympic cyclists, but I will be even closer to the blood, sweat and tears of photographers from the likes of AP, AFP, Getty and Reuters. (Todd, don't worry, I will stare at their fancy equipment for you!)

I think this is an awesome job. A little different than what I expected, but even better than I could have imagined. I can't even think about how cool I will feel being able to roam around Olympic events... telling ballin' photogs what to do. I am basically a bouncer for photographers. And there's a pretty decent chance you might see me on TV.


Now that I have gotten caught up in explaining what I will be doing, allow me to tell you where I will be working. The cycling venue is actually a "cluster" because three events are held on three different courses. Mountain biking is (of course) on a mountain. BMX is on a BMX track (the bikes that fly over the little hills). And track cycling is inside the Velodrome in a 6,000 person capacity stadium (photo above). Btw, BMX is making its debut at the Olympics this year... history, folks, is being made before my eye.

Also, the Velodrome is maybe the coolest thing ever. Think about a roller rink... propped up to 47 degree angles at each end... and stadium seating around it. Apparently when the bikes get rollin', the whole place sounds like thunder. Below is the view of the starting line (yes, I was standing on the track... be jealous).

So despite the fact that we will have only three days off for more than a month, our work is not that strenuous. I will add, though, that I am trying to get as much out of this experience as possible. I'm talking up a storm (and listening up a storm) to all of our managers and their previous experiences. I'm taking note of the way our venue is organized, the way the PR for the entire Olympics is panning out and especially the differences I have seen from the perspective as an outsider to someone living and working in an Olympic city. I think I will gain more from the little things I pick up with my astute observations of the way events are run than from actually working as a Photo Assistant. (Isn't that the truth about life anyway... you learn more just by opening your ears and widening your view? I mean, if you were thrown into an event like the Olympics, would you just stick to what you were supposed to do, or would you wander around and ask some questions?)

I'm asking questions.

[Speaking of questions, I love all the comments I'm getting... both via blog and e-mail. But if you have questions... or want me to go run around and take pictures of something, let me know and I'll do my best!]

22.

Easily one of my top-five birthdays of all time. Easily.

It all started with a my evening/his noon Skype to Luke... who had suggested I try to celebrate my birthday in traditional Chinese fashion. Unfortunately, according to my research, Chinese culture does not dictate a large and glorious celebration of one's birth unless you are a newborn or very very very exceptionally old. Plan B: annnnd go.

While still on the Skype, midnight struck and I was greeted by several of my fellow Purdue travelers singing happy birthday over a candle-adorned stack of Moon Pie snack cakes. And even though Luke and I have not been in the same country on either of our birthdays for maybe ten years, he was almost here... thinking of how he will be turning even older than I in just one short week (mu haha).

(I was also greeted by an impecibly timed e-mail from several time zones away. To achieve the midnight e-mail is one feat, to do so from halfway around the world is another. You my friend, are bold and daring.)

After feasting on marshmallowy deliciousness we piled into a room to watch The Departed. I, as I do with every movie, fell asleep and missed the end. I hear it's a great film.

In the morning I wake up to find my desk littered with handmade construction paper cards and the door to our room decked out in Happy Birthday swag... including a banner made of toilet paper. I also find an video of a mountain top birthday wish... all the way from Spain (!) in my inbox. From there it was off to "The Good Dining Hall" for some breakfast. I chose a buttery looking bread thing in the shape of a slice of pizza. A breakfast fit for a birthday.

Some city sights and a popsicle later and we were all back at CUC, plotting the adventures of the evening. Meanwhile, it is not even dawn on my American birthday time... which means that I technically was wished Happy Birthday for about 36 hours. I must do this every year.

An Irish pub was named the venue for dinner, and I must say, my fish and chips were remarkable. From there we taxied over to a bar with a rooftop patio... and enjoyed the beautiful Beijing evening. I must add that last year I spent my special day on a rooftop in Hell's Kitchen, NYC. This means that I have celebrated two consecutive birthdays on rooftops. I now declare this tradition and will see that it continues for years to come.

I must say, everyone here (especially the roomie Megan) made my day exceptionally wonderful and special. And we're all too familiar with the feeling of checking your e-mail on your birthday to find it littered with "(Insert name) has written on your Facebook wall." It all made my day (or my 36 hours).

It's all said and done now... I'm 22. My golden birthday. Exceptionally great.

5 gallon challenge.

We have a five-gallon water jug in our room... everyone does... because tap water in Beijing is not fit to drink. When it gets empty, "they" magically replace it with a new one.

Three days ago, room 801 was given a new jug of water... and with that came a challenge.

I call it the Five Gallon Challenge. Can two people drink five gallons of water in three days? We will see. My roommate Megan and I accepted this challenge (well, she accepted it, with much coercing from me, the initiator of said challenge) and documented our progress.

At 11:58pm on the third day, we finished our jug, just in time to declare ourselves victors of the 5 gallon challenge.

rooftop reading club.

Karaoke last night was everything I never expected. Fifteen, and then about thirty of us, crammed into one room (all karaoke is in private rooms here) and decoded the Chinese karaoke machine. Some Spice Girls, Celine Dion and N'Sync later and things got pretty hilarious. We had a great time despite the shadier than shady karaoke bar.

When we all came alive at 10am, a few of us decided it was rooftop beach day for sure. A bucket brigade to fill the pool and a borrowing of some iPod speakers led to perhaps the best turn out for rooftop beach yet. It was a beautiful day, sunny and hot hot hot. We all spread out our blankets and cracked open the books. Pretty soon, a bunch of us were all reading, sharing details of our latest books. Mine is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin... a book about a K2 mountaineer who gives up everything he has to build a school in an impoverished village in Pakistan. It's wonderful. It combines basically everything I love about life... nature, adventure, living in rewarding, simple ways.

We're all getting pretty anxious to start work. It's been great hanging out and seeing the city, but we're ready to catch the Olympic spirit. I know that once the Games start, things will fly by. Honestly, I get a little misty thinking about this trip being my last connection to Purdue as a student. A lot of our conversations here revolve around food (mostly things we wish we could find here)... and I think I brought up those delicious Oasis tuna wraps with S&V chips (you might know that this is in my top five meals of all time and that I would do dangerously illegal things to obtain one). It really saddened me to think that I don't know when I'll get another one of those deliciously tuna-y delights. It hit me then thinking about the other things I'll miss about WeLa and Purdue. I'm one of the three of us on this trip have graduated... it throws me off a little when the others talk about classes and professors... I realize that all of that is over for me. The bittersweetness is sinking in. (But right now, things are pretty sweet.)

[Birthday Eve. 22 here I come.]

it's morning in china.

I don't know what it is about today, but I'm way off.

Last night Spain called =) and after a lot of catching up, I was all smiles as I crashed into bed at almost 1am. Maybe the off day is due to waking up two and a half hours later at 3:30am to see the sunrise raising of the Chinese flag at Tienanmen Square. I rolled out of bed, threw on my best tourist gear and met some of the others for an early morning cab ride.

As it turns out, the compound of CUC locks and chains its gates until about 5am. With no option except up and over, we scaled a seven-foot iron gate with six inch spikes on the top. Talk about a way to wake up. Lucky for us, there was a cab parked right outside the gates... with a sleeping driver in it! I wasted no time in rapping on the window. Nothing says goodmorning like an American tourist waking you before dawn.

After a treacherous cab ride, our small group squeezed into the hundreds of people standing outside the Forbidden City to watch the ceremony. I could barely see, and many of the people in attendance were pretty aggressive in jockeying for a better spot. The sun rose... I couldn't see anything... the army marched out... I couldn't see anything... China's anthem played... I couldn't see (or hear) anything... the flag went up... I couldn't see anything. Overall, it was quite the anti-climactic ceremony... especially before 5am. And as you can see, the best picture I got (by practically leaping into the air above the crowd) is also a little lackluster.

In search of breakfast and coffee (something I miss dearly after my near-rehab addiction while working in Maryland... I have yet to find some), we walked forever. A few of us went our separate ways and I did what I have been needing to do since we arrived... break away and get lost on my own. I found breakfast and mapped out what was left of my morning.

I wanted to get back to Silk Street to pick up some additional gifts, but it didn't open until ten. I decided to walk the forever and a day to Wal-Mart to see if I could find an alarm clock, sewing kit and vitamins, three of the things I can't believe I forgot. I found the clock... but walked away with no vitamins and no needle and thread. And when I put some apples in a bag and went to check out with them, the cashier said something to me that I didn't understand and took them away. Apparently I did something wrong in trying to purchase them... maybe I didn't weigh them or something. No apples. No happy.

I walked back to Silk Street, arriving just as it opened and did some bargaining. I'm pretty sure I got ripped off today. Not thrilled about that. Actually, I am pretty frustrated at this whole souvenir situation anyway. I hate souvenirs. Most of this stuff here can be bought back in the States... and a lot more of it is junk. Either way, I have to push through it since I know people are expecting things. Grrr. I'd much rather make a sweet photo slide show to share than hand you a silly jade Buddha. Whatever. I'm over it.

Finally, I head home to nap at 10:30am. I wake up disoriented, confused, hungry for things I can't find here and just generally grumpy. Why is this? I don't know. After some lounging and wishful e-mail checking (nothing is more saddening that no open your inbox and find zero new messages), I decided to do some laundry. Laundry is done by hand... with a tub... and a washboard... in the shower. It is a messy process, you usually end up sopping wet and your room is a drip dry factory with soaked clothes draped over every surface. It makes me appreciate everyone who ever washed clothes by hand, everyone who took part in the invention of the washing machine and Mom and Baba for washing so many loads of my laundry through the years. As someone who loves doing laundry under normal circumstances, this hand-wash situation is disheartening, not to mention time consuming.

I am also slightly homesick, Purduesick, BGRsick, Toddsick, friendsick... and all those other things and people that I miss.

I choose to remedy this day by going to the Karaoke all-you-can-eat buffet (why have one when you can have both). Over and out. I will survive.

musical subway.

I love a good bargain. And I love it even more when I feel like I worked for it. Such was today's journey to the Pearl Market (a five-floor emporium of pearls and pearl-related treasures). After a hot hot hot subway trip... walking several blocks in the wrong direction... a popsicle to cure the fact that we walked so far out of the way... a man in a rickshaw yelling "Hey, let's go!" to Lauren and I... and (as always) coming inches away from death trying to cross huge streets... we made it.

We pulled up our stools to one of the stalls and began to work our magic. Bargaining is an art, a science and sometimes just luck. Row upon row of pearls and other stone and shell jewelry is overwhelming enough... but to have four ladies trying to haggle you in every way they can is madness. The key is to remain calm, polite and always always have a bottom line budget for yourself.

After biting just about every strand (all real, btw), I walked away with four various pearl necklaces, and five miscellaneous pairs of shell and turquoise jewelry for about 50 USD. I'd say I did well. (Note: those of you who may receive any of these items as gifts from my trip, please understand that the love is not in how much I paid, but rather, how savvy I was at bargaining.)

With such a great start at the Pearl Market under our belts, we headed to a really cool Hutong (street) with tons of shops, bars and cute little restaurants. Lauren got a 40 minute massage for about 6 USD while I poked around in every shop up and down the street. I didn't score any more bargains, but saw lots of fun things. It is important to note that this entire time I am sweating my life away and look homeless. Who would want to bargain with me, I have no idea.

I think the best part of our day, however, was the little game we began to play on the subway. One stop that we need to make is the first stop on the line, which means an empty train pulls up to the platform. In order to understand the competitive atmosphere of public transit, picture small lanes that people line up in, three men/women across. As soon as the train pulls up and the doors open, chaos breaks out as people from all doors rush in to try and snag a coveted seat.

We decide that we're going to play for keeps. We devise a plan and put it into action.

I am in the second row, middle man of the line-up. Decent position. Lauren is right behind me, with a hand on my shoulder. Train arrives... doors open... and they're off! I fake left, spin right, glance at my options on both sides of the train and slide home into a two-seat opening... I look left, waiting for Lauren to slide into the vacancy... and it's already too late... she's gone! Seconds later she surfaces laughing as I grin from my seat that is now surrounded by angry standers. She went left upon entering the train... an area that has no seats... common beginners' mishap.

This ballet of musical subway seats is the craziest, most competitive action I've ever seen on public transportation. I must say I am proud of my ability to prevail at musical subway, even in the hot rush hour of a Friday afternoon. For me, it wasn't about the seat. It was about the win.

We celebrated with another popsicle on the way home. Just another successful day in the life of a Beijing risk-taker.

kids these days.

When you are American... you crave sandwiches. Give me the bread, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles (!) and mayo. Yesterday, it was Subway that came through when it counted.

A fellow sandwich craver and I took the subway to Subway (ha). We did everything we are not supposed to do... we got cheese (cheese here is unpasteurized, and thus dangerous if you aren't used to it)... we got fresh vegetables (no doubt washed in China water)... and I'll tell you what, I would have gotten ice in my iced tea had it been there. Guess what... we're fine. I think that we're all getting used to the water (most of us are living on the edge and even brushing our teeth with it) and as long as we don't drink a river or something crazy like that, we will be just fine.

After the delicious and wonderful sandwich, we did what any kids would do on a hot summer day... we climbed through windows onto the roof, blew up a kiddie pool, filled it with water and had a rooftop beach party. It was beautiful, and of course, drew spectators who were amazed at our crafty ways. The funny thing is, the cleaning ladies were more concerned with us tracking in dirt from the roof than they were that we were actually on the roof. Needless to say, I am proud of all parties involved with the creation of rooftop-beach.


Later on we met up with one of the supervisors for the volunteers at Laoshan Velodrome and she took us to an amazing American diner-style restaurant called Paul's Steak and Eggs. We walked in, were greeted by Paul himself and became the happiest kids ever when we saw menus full of burgers, steak and eggs (of course), chicken strips, fries and grilled cheese sandwiches. We ate like Americans. We laughed like Americans. We had the greatest time like Americans.

We also found out that Paul has satellite TV and will be showing the NBC coverage of all Olympic events. Paul is great. He is our friend, and we love him.

accidentally awesome.

When you are told that you need to be on a bus at 6:30am, a typical response would be to raise an eyebrow. When you are told to be on that bus at 6:30am because it will take you to your next phase of Olympic Volunteer training, you basically jump up and down with happiness. If you haven't noticed, so far we have pretty much been on vacation. I was expecting to be put to work as soon as I got to China... but I'm savoring this time to explore because once July 22 (my birthday) comes around, we don't have a day off until the Games end on August 25.

So the two people in our group working at the Main Press Center and the four Photo Assistants for Laoshan Velodrome (I am one of these four) head to the MPC for what we thought was training. As it turns out, the four photo assistants were not supposed to be there. At this point, we didn't care at all since the MPC is a beautiful, brand-new giant facility buzzing with Olympic excitement. We were kids in a really big Olympic candy store.

Since the four of us were basically stranded at the MPC, we made friends with some other Chinese student volunteers and they offered to show us around. From this point on, I will have a huge smile on my face, my jaw will be dropped and my eyes will be wider than ever. We saw everything at this building... giant press rooms where reporters will be frantically writing stories, workrooms for AP, Getty Images, AFP, Bloomberg (if you are at all interested in News Media... this is a dream) and even a huge huge huge press conference room that holds 800 people! The four of us wasted no time in asking if we could sit at the front desk... daydreaming about what amazing people will be sitting in those very seats in just a month.

One of the coolest things I saw was what they call "Pigeonholes." These are a series of little shelves that the most recent information for the events are filed into. Every sport has a section, and the shelves stretch on forever!

Basically it was the best. And we're all really glad we got on that early bird bus.

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Short story: We were also the studio audience for a Chinese CCTV talk show. Hilarious. And everyone wore headphones because everything was interpreted. So when the host would tell a joke... we would laugh a few seconds later after we got the translation. That is all.

shut your month.

The final day of the three-day-tour we all looked a bit rough. It has been in the high 30s here, extremely humid and even quite sunny. I drink so much water, and sweat every drop of it out. Everyone just looks like soggy noodles. But, the third day of the tour was a day at the Summer Palace, a perfect place to spend a hot China day.

The Summer Palace is where the Emperors of Beijing would spend their summer months. It is essentially a vacation plantation; series of buildings, temples and gardens with a (man made) lake overlooked by a (man made) hill. For the modern day tourists, there are also restaurants and shops tucked into the mix.

We got there at about 10am (several of us still feeling the night before, oops) and decided the last thing we wanted to do was walk. Luckily, one of the most popular things to do at the Summer Palace is rent a boat to take out on the lake. Split into two groups of six, we rented six-man paddle boats and (not without some language barrier difficulty) headed for open water.

I guarantee my boat was the better six, based on the conversations about "The Old Beijing Traffic Jam" (a lewd game about making up inappropriate names of potential sexual actions) and names like "Nicole Bel-Aire" (another lewd game involving the creation of names that would be adult-entertainment aliases). Forgive me, but you must know how hilarious this group of people has become together. Picture six kids in a paddle boat in a Chinese lake laughing so hard they are drawing attention from passers-by. Honestly, this group of Purdue students works so well together. Never a dull moment thanks to our perfect rhythm of humor, argumentative conversation, inappropriateness and just general ridiculousness. I think we are all having the great times that we are because of the friendships we are building. And, honestly, what else do we have to do besides talk to each other? We don't have TV, movies, board games, athletic equipment or cars... so we are all we have for entertainment. And trust me, it gets entertaining.

Post Summer Palace we went to some ruins... the ruins of what I am not really sure. Some element of understanding gets lost when you travel in large groups in sweltering heat. But I'm pretty sure the ruins and gardens were part of another vacation spot for China's elite.

The evening's activities included dinner and the traditional Peking Opera. Dinner was perhaps the most interesting meal of our three day tour... several of the dishes at this one were, well, interesting. The first thing that rolls out is a pile of, what look like scallops, but are actually gelatinous tofu... we think. The one and only Lauren Harrington and I dive right in... letting everyone know whether or not they should try it. The answer is yes... but only to see how awkward it is.

No one likes it, and is so creeped out by the jiggle of it, that no one even wants it on their plate. To be polite, we casually plop the jell-o tofu into our tea... out of sight, out of mind. Later in the meal, I almost accidentally drink my tofu tea. This spawns one of our "great ideas" to dare someone to drink the tea... tofu and all. The prize for this: one cold beer. Worth it.

The victim takes the tea down... not without difficulty, and not without very strange faces. Some sips of Coke to wash it all down... and its all over. Respect was earned. But why would it stop there? Two more tofu-teas are slid his way. One more makes it down... number three is a no go. Meals are usually this eventful, again, this group is a riot.

From dinner we headed to the opera. Five of our tickets were in the so called VIP area; I was bestowed one of these tickets. The theater was pretty bare bones... kind of like a movie theater... so the VIP area was just an area up front with tables that had delicious tea for us. Our seats were, however, about eight feet from the stack of speakers.

Peking Opera is one of those things that can't be described. The sets were very simple, costumes and makeup completely elaborate and the performance... well, the singing was quite shrill. The high-pitched almost screaming songs were blasting those of us sitting by the speakers. There were also English subtitles on large TV screens; translation was minimum and very choppy... most of us couldn't figure out the storyline. All of this considered though, it was a pretty fun experience. Especially when subtitles were wrong and said things like "Shut your month!"

And so our three day tour came to an end. Farewell "number bus six."

better than great.

Everything about the Great Wall completely exceeded my expectations. First of all, when they say "climb" the Great Wall... they're not kidding. At some points it is basically a ladder. The stairs are uneven and up to a foot and a half high and the parts without stairs are the steepest possible slopes a human could cling to. It was excellent. Additionally, it was maybe the most beautiful day I have ever seen. Bluest of blue skies, hot hot hot and breezy.


After the Wall, we went to the Ming Tombs, a huge underground city where 13 of China's former emperors are buried. The place was a bit tourist-ified... plexiglass protection in front of things... emergency lights everywhere... wire mesh holding up the ceilings. I would love to have seen in in its raw state.

Because it was at least 37 or 38 degrees outside, we were ready to get back to CUC and just cool off. And cooling off we did... that is, until we made a spontaneous decision to go out with the Australians to a club called Bananas. And let me just say, if you think the Beijing subway is crowded... try a Beijing dance floor. We had a really fun time, though we were a bit bewildered by some of the things going on. I guess if a club is called Bananas, you might expect a man to lower from the ceiling wearing a grass skirt and fake bananas to entertain the masses with his oily banana body... but it sure took us by surprise.

sewage before duck.

We're officially in tour mode... all of the foreign students who are volunteering at the Games are here now. And we roll eight tour buses deep. And by that I mean we have police escorts for our bus-caravan (does a caravan of buses make it a carabus? think about it.), people line the streets to wave to us, and it is literally a production for us to go see our carefully orchestrated sites.

Our three day tour locations are supposed to be representative of "how great life is in China" and "a chance for us to see all the good things happening." Which, is understandable. The people of China are very proud, and our tours are designed to show us all they have to be proud of.

An early morning visit to Beijing's wastewater treatment plant gave us an up-close look at how wastewater is turned into reclaimed water used for basically everything but drinking. And while blogger isn't allowing us to upload videos right now, be sure you ask me about my sewage tour video montage when I get home. Seriously. I've never taken a tour of any sewage plant (others said this might have been a popular 4th or 5th grade field trip), so to take one in Beijing... well, I never in my wildest thought that would happen.

I'm the type of person who reads non-fiction... so to me, a water treatment plant is pretty cool. Especially if you are being led around by Henry the tour guide. (I kid you not, this picture is in no way posed or planned



After the tour, it was back on the bus (we bonded not only with the bus... but with each other) for a two hour drive to the "countryside." By that, we mean we sat in traffic for two hours to get to the far northern reaches of Beijing city limits. We drove through crazy fields of all kinds of strange and awesome trees, corn fields (!), and through what they consider "rural" areas. We kids from Purdue had a more advanced view of what we thought rural China might be... but then again, 8 flashy, fancy brand new tour buses can't cruise just anywhere.



I saw so many great photos being driven past... I just wanted to hop out of the bus and get back to nature. But sadly, we bypassed the agriculture and went to the village of Xiang Tang. We saw a beautiful temple, a retirement home where people showed us traditional ways of painting and Tai Chi, and then it was back on the bus.



I think we were all expecting something different, but this countryside tour was really, again, a way for us to purposefully see certain things that the People of China want us to see. I was intrigued by everything still. I found myself keeping very quiet and to myself, mostly so I could take it all it. It really hit me that I'm in China... seeing things so different than America... seeing things that I only dreamed about in my Asian-obsessed youth. It seemed foolish to complain about the heat (especially when our buses were blasting the a/c)... or to get frustrated with other group members... I was all about taking everything I wanted to take from the day. I was aching for some time to really reflect.

That being said, I'm so thankful that I value and respect different cultures. It's so important to me to show the kind of respect that just seems necessary when visiting other places... to really listen to the people who are trying to tell you about what they are proud of. I don't know, call me lame, but I get so into it and I just have to tune out all the people who are less than enthusiastic about connecting with the experience. Maybe I haven't traveled enough, so I still get a little culture-awe-struck. But if that's the case, I don't want it to change. No place can ever be compared to any other place... no experience matches another... I can't just cruise around without feeling like I am experiencing something so special. I could meditate to how remarkable this place is.

And once I finished meditating, I'd go eat the traditional dish of Peking Duck for dinner... because it might have been one of the best meals of my life. The second of two amazing meals for the day, the Peking Duck was awesome. The stories of how they get the duck from ducking to table are a little rough, so I won't share, but basically they have a very special way of cutting an preparing it in front of you. You then take the duck meat and skin, place it in a sort of wonton wrapper with some sauce, oniony-things and celery-y-things, and eat it... um, I can't even describe how good this was. Everything that was served was amazing (and believe me, I got my chopsticks on everything... no matter what it was)... but the duck was just delicious. The meal is a very traditionally and special occasion... a little less special when there are about 400 students there, but we had a great time and I can't say enough about how great the food was.

Peking Duck is a long way from Chicken Fish Soup.

christmas come early.

When you (and your roommate) wake up at 5am (every day) because the bright morning light filters through your unblocked window...you feel like you are more prepared for the day after looking into the dense smoggy foggy cloudy world for a few early-morning hours. It takes some mental zen skills to step out into that every day. Today, however, when I rolled over to take in the light, I saw something... a glimmer of hope... I rushed to the window like it was Christmas morning! BLUE SKIES! The bluest of blue skies! Like, all the way blue with the pollution just sinking in around the horizon! There is sun, there are shadows, glorious!

We were told that to see a true blue sky in Beijing, is like teaching pigs to fly, or hell to freeze. It's the rarest of rare and as luck would have it, it happens on our day to go to the Great Wall! I smile because I am fortunate.

p.t.p.o.p. playground.

Thankfully, I have nursed myself back to full health and yesterday I was functioning as the able-bodied youth that I am. All of the well-wishes helped!

And how would you celebrate getting healthy while in China? Why, the Forbidden City of course! Five of the girls took the subway (this time, it was exactly how you picture a Beijing subway...packed to the gills with people...kiss your personal space goodbye) to Tiananmen Square and entered the Forbidden City. It was a "high smog index" day so pictures didn't turn out very clear, and all of us were winded just walking up the stairs. But still, it was amazing. Built in the early 1400s, it is amazing that it has survived all that it has, and I love that in a city of 16 million people there is still this HUGE space set aside dedicated to the history of China. Seriously, there are just giant open courtyards inside... easily could be filled with skyscrapers to house thousands... but they remain untouched.



All of the buildings have beautifully ornate decoration on them. Some have been restored, others, even with peeling paint, were remarkable. The Imperial Garden was magnificent too... giant, old trees nestled between pagodas and temples...lotus flowers next to golden statues... mosaic river-rock walkways... it was worth inhaling all of that smog to get to.

Without a tour guide, we did our best to understand the buildings and what they were used for, but really, it was just an overwhelming place. So much history was within those walls... so much history that means so much to the People of China. When your country has been ruled by dynasties for 4000 years, its powerful stuff.

Additionally, if you have a fascination with the phenomenon I like to call "People Taking Pictures of People," a historic landmark in China is a GREAT place to be. I was bouncing with glee by how many PTPOP there were. (If you are unfamiliar with my concept of PTPOP, it is where one person, with camera, backs away from his/her friends/family/colleagues...aims, says something like "cheese" or "smile," takes the picture, and then returns to the group with the camera. This is an elaborate choreography of culture and technology... people fumbling with unfamiliar cameras, groups of people lining up digital cameras for one person to take repeated pictures of the group, different ways of posing in front of whatever it is the people are being photographed in front of... I just love it. I can't even explain it! Do you know what I mean? If not, next time you go anywhere where people have cameras, watch the way they take pictures of each other. It will change your world.)

Later that day we got to bonding with the QUT and Emerson students on the 10th floor roof terrace we commandeered. Had the air not been so thick with heat, sweat and smog, we could have seen the beautiful lights. Instead we had about 200 meter visibility. But for a summer night, you can't ask for much more than sitting outside with good company and some bevs. That's one thing we can all understand.

FTB:24.

save ferris.

The ball is really rolling here and yesterday we had some big business to tend to. As a group (and by group, I mean all of the foreign students here... Purdue, QUT and Emerson) we were welcomed to CUC by the Vice President and given a brief history of Beijing and China. It was during this presentation that I realized I was really, really legit sick. After it ended I peaced out to my bed until my roommate woke me for our second session, at which point in time, I was in bad shape.

My fever had escalated to a temperature I can only guess to be somewhere between the Equator and the surface of the Sun. I was burnin' up.

This second session though, was very important as it was our first meeting with our Olympic Committee Supervisors and involved some serious business. We had to sign our letters of confirmation, saying that we were, indeed, here and going to work at the Olympics. We received SIM cards for our cell phones (I didn't bring or buy one... but if it appears absolutely necessary, I will). We tried on the uniforms (!) and shoes that we will be sporting. And we met with the people who will be our direct superiors and who will train us.

By the end of this meeting, the chills and goosebumps on my body were outrageous. I, once again, ate some Advil, drank some water and went to bed. But aha! This time I was going to outsmart this fever. I put on pants... a long sleeved shirt... a hooded sweatshirt... and socks (ew, who wears socks to bed!?!). I climbed in under my thick comforter and entered the sweat factory. The socks didn't last long, but everything else, combined with my flaming temperature, I think/hope might have caused me to break my fever. In fact, I slept from about 3pm to 5:45am this morning, waking only to realize how sweaty I was and drink more water.

At present, I am feeling a little better. I hope to eat today. And i think if I just take it easy and maintain my steady intake of ibuprofen I should recover in time for the weekend (we have a three day tour of the city lined up, and I'm NOT sleeping through it). Thanks for all of your concern, I promise I will be okay!

pretty lady: you need prada.

Yesterday we met the group of Australians from Queensland University of Technology, and were all rounded up for a campus tour by our CUC ambassadors. They showed us the grocery store on campus, the dining halls and took a group of about 35 Americans and Australians to the bank... we were the loudest group I have ever heard. Pretty sure that bank considered closing its doors after we left.

After that, the whole lot of us went to lunch together at the dining hall. Now, let me explain this dining hall situation. You get a little swipey card, load it up with money, and swipe for every item you purchase. There are items from 1RMB (Chinese unit of currency, also known as the yuan) to 6.50RMB for you ballers out there. Basically 1USD is almost 7RMB... so you can eat an entire lunch, and buy a drink, for about 1.50USD. Sound like a bargain? It is. Want to know why? It's no Earhart Dining Hall... it's barely tolerable. Now, I was all about trying everything and eating different things here... but this food is something else. The first night, I got some soup with lots of noodles. It appeared to be chicken, and tasted like chicken for the first few slurps. Then... suddenly it became fishy. I hung up my chopsticks right there. And we now affectionately call it "Chicken Fish Soup."

The lunch with the Aussies wasn't great either. Turns out the onions and peppers I got also were laced with chunks of fat. No kidding. Chicken it was not. Thus, another failed attempt at feeding myself.

I have, however, been keeping myself hydrated to the maximum (which is good, because later in this blog post I will become very sick). Water, Minute Maid OJ, Gatorade... the bevs are pretty much the same as the US. They are all a tiny bit different, but at least they are familiar.

After our campus tour and lunch, we all headed out to the infamous underground Silk Market. To the left you will see me as a hot mess on the Subway. No a/c on most trains + thick smoggy hot air + one billion people = sweaty sweaty sweaty. Surprisingly though, it really didn't smell. Interesting.

So the Silk Market is this mall with tons and tons of stalls of fake designer goods. You walk through the aisles and all of the vendors yell to you, pull your toward their booths, and generally harass you to buy their wares.

They yell all sorts of things to you as you drift through a maze of fake Coach and Fendi. "Girl in skirt, buy my shoes!" "Pretty lady, you need Prada!" "Girl, Girl, buy more bags, buy more bags!"

If you are not ready for it, they will take you under so fast. Once you decide what you'd like to buy, you have to haggle them. They use calculators to show you the price and put on a whole song and dance as to why you are getting the best deal of the century. If you even try to walk away, they chase you. It's an art really.

This being said, most of us white Americans got taken for a ride and paid too much for what we bought. We are ready, though. We will strike again. And we will be prepared.

Aching for something familiar, we headed to WalMart. Yes, I know. I committed international sin and went to WalMart. But honestly, I needed some peanut butter. If I'm not eating Chicken Fish Soup, I'll need my protein somehow.

WalMart was remarkably familiar, aside from the fact that everything was in Mandarin. And I do give the people of Beijing credit for not using plastic bags. Apparently they are on their way to being outlawed, forcing everyone to use reusable ones.

After a long day, I took my Tide, Skippy, Ritz Crackers, Listerine and bottle of Great Wall wine back home. At this point I am getting hungry, so I dive into my PB. Meanwhile, it was the general consensus of the group... and we were quite forceful in our declaration... that we were NOT, under any circumstances, eating in the hot dining hall shoebox. We were going to Pizza Hut.

Here, Pizza Hut is fine dining, seriously. There were granite staircases and real plates. (Just think Katie McQ... a classy, classy hut.) But on the train on the way there, I started to feel quite faint. Not sure if it was the long day, the unbalanced diet or just me still adjusting to things here. Everyone else is fine. I am the weakest link. I suffer through a small piece of cheese pizza (thinking food would be a good idea)... and cursed myself for not feeling well because it was DELICIOUS. Just like America.

Came home, a walking pile of death and illness. Take two Tylenol PM and crawl into bed. I for sure have a fever as I sweated through the night... chills... aches... throat swelling shut. Miserable. Not to mention our beds are like cinder blocks (as a fellow student said). Right now I am sweating my life away, drinking mass quantities of Gatorade and water... blogging because I couldn't go back to sleep on account of my weakened condition.

In a minute I'll try to eat a spoonful of PB, was it down with Advil and go take a shower in someone else's room who was bestowed with the glory of hot water. (Oh yeah, our shower only functions as a cold shower. Others have heat, we do not. We are told there is not a chance in the world this will get fixed. Say hello to icy cold mornings for 7 weeks.)

So even though I am not feeling well AT ALL. I must persevere. I will put on a hooded sweatshirt and sweat through the day, hoping to break this fever. I will put on my giant sunglasses and be invisible, thus not allowing people to question why I look so tragic. Ugh. A sick American in China.

welcome to china.

I made it. I'm here. Beijing is my new place of residence until August 26.

After a great great 4th of July (in my opinion, the best "last day" to have before leaving the country), I awoke at 4:30 on the 5th to get to O'Hare. I took a four hour flight to Vancouver (magically, I had an entire row to myself), sat in Vancouver's stunningly beautiful airport for about 3 hours (flight delayed about an hour and a half), took another 11 hour flight to Beijing (not as bad as I thought), met some fellow Boilers at the airport and took a taxi-van to our dorm (yes, here they call it a dorm... though I can't stop calling it a residence hall). All of these travels took me about 24 hours... I think.

To be honest, I had no clue what time it was, what day it was or when I was supposed to be sleeping since I left Lowell. I think I figured it out though, and thanks to frequent cat-naps on the planes, I am pretty well-adjusted.

Beijing is a gigantic city, but everyone lives very locally. We are staying on the campus of the Communications University of China... but we think that anyone can live here, not just students. Nothing within any reasonable distance of us is in English, making finding food a very interesting process. This morning four of us set out to find our first Chinese meal. We walked outside the campus gates (there are, literally, guarded gates--see Mom, Baba, it's safe) and found a pastry shop. By pointing to different things and then showing how many we wanted using our fingers, we managed to secure some food... for about fifty cents USD each. (Holla' at a playa' when you see her eating Chinese pastry in the skreet... it's no NYC, Katie!)

That's about as far as we have come so far. It's hard to explore when you really have no grasp on where you are, or in what direction to head. I hope that our orientation tomorrow will give us all some guidance.

tuesday time zone.

Today's time zone is Eastern Time. Tomorrow through Thursday's time zone is Central Time. Friday through Saturday is every time zone between Chicago and Beijing. As long as I can keep this all straight, I'll be fine.

Being that this is my last week before China, there has been some effort of preparation. However, I can't remember the last time I didn't pack the night before a trip (or the morning of), no matter how long I would be away from home. Going for a weekend? Pack the morning of. A week? Morning of. Two weeks? Morning of. A month? Maybe the night before, but that's pushing it. Two months? The night before (but only because I had an early flight).

Have taken care of most other things... called the bank and American Express so they know I am not some Olympic renegade making false charges in China... got some shots (the medical kind)... have conversed with others in my group about meeting at the Beijing airport and sharing taxis to our living quarters... and tried to talk to as many friends and family as possible in these last couple days.

I still need to turn off my cell phone, purchase gifts for anyone I might meet and deem worthy of a gift (Chinese tradition), collect addresses in case I decided postcards are in order, make copies of my credit cards and passport... oh yeah, and pack my suitcase.

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And as if having the chance to go to the Olympics isn't enough... it has been recently announced that my dear friend (and fellow Shrevehart Stormer) Kara Patterson will be representing the USA by being a completely awesome javelin thrower! Now I can say I know an Olympian, cross that one off the list.

I'll do whatever possible to make it to the Track & Field venues that day. Even if it means abusing my "Volunteer" credentials. Maybe. (I hear you just have to show your issued fanny-pack and you're in.)