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.)