I think I am really due for a new post on this. It has been over a week now and I have disappeared from the Western world and gotten lost in the East.
I've had some amazing days during which every day I have at least one moment of awe at the realization that what I am living is not a dream. When I signed up for exchange in such a foreign country, I knew I was getting myself into something big but I never realized how big or the impact that it would have on me. It feels like every step I take is surreal and everything I see is too incredible to be true. I often take a look around me and am just wowed by everything I see, smell, taste and touch. Coming to China has opened my mind beyond anything I imagined. From food, to culture, to people, the only way to enjoy this experience is with an open mind and a smile so I've taken that approach and have been rewarded back with the most interesting people I have ever met, the most delicious food I have ever eaten and the coolest places I have ever seen. Learning about this country's history and culture with people from all over the world heightens the experience in a way that is unparalleled in my life. I feel like although I'm in China, so much of what I am learning goes beyond this massive country and extends to better understanding the world. I am just incredibly lucky.
On that note, I will briefly share with you some of my latest adventures and hope that between this and my facebook pictures, you will get an idea of what I'm doing.
Yesterday we took a day trip to Tianjin, a port city northeast of Beijing. Jenny and I were the instigators and planners of a successful 20 people excursion and so far, I think it was my favourite day in China. We took a bullet train that traveled at 350km/hour, getting us to Tianjin in a short 30 minutes. Once we arrived, we split into two groups because the Spaniards and the Mexicans walked too slow (surprise surprise...and no, I was not in that group!!!). I went off with ze Germans, a Dutch guy, two Aussies, a Finish guy and Dan and Jenny. We spent the entire day walking around being guided by a map that led us to the main tourist destinations yet enjoying the journey just as much, if not more. We encountered a small, neighbourhood park in which we played ping pong with some locals and got told. There's a reason why they won every ping pong medal at the Olympics, let's just say that. At the same park, we learnt of the Chinese equivalent to hackie sack- a tower of metal rings with some feathers on top. We bought one of them later on and amused ourselves at the train station on the way back.
Tianjin is known for its gou bu li, a delicious dumpling, so we had lunch at a place that specializes in gou bu li. Awkwardly enough, we each paid 50 kuai for food that was good, but nothing special, and a few hours later stumbled upon a street market in a sketchy alleyway and bought way more food, way more delicious for probably 50 kuai total (10 or 11 of us). It was disappointing, but you live and you learn...and now we know to eat on the streets!!!
One of the funniest/scariest moments of the day was when we encountered a group of children playing on the street and I decided to play with them. The game consisted of holding one of your feet up against your other thigh (a la yoga) and bumping into each other- with the first one to lower their second leg being the loser. They were very aggressive and I wasn't really fighting back...which is good...because when I bumped one of them, he went flying and almost rolled down some stairs. Thankfully, I was able to grab his hand and stop him from falling. I definitely underestimated my strength and size (they were like 10 years old). We had a good laugh though and it only added to the day.
The city itself was very interesting. Having been a German colony, the European influence was etched in every building, street and historic site. Catholic churches, colonial buildings and wide streets marked every corner of the city, making it pleasant to stroll along. We were also lucky because the weather was amazing. It was the nicest day since I got to China and we were able to walk around without coats. A memorable day for sure.
The day before, Jenny, our friend Markus and I decided to check out the Olympic Village. We walked through the area and decided to go into the Water Cube only because we had been told that the Bird's Nest wasn't worth it. The aura in the water cube could definitely be felt and it was really an experience to just sit there and imagine what it must have felt like during the Olympics. After that, we went to some hutongs. Hutongs are small streets in Beijing that have been preserved, so they are sort of like a window into the past and into the "real" China, which you don't often find because everything is so modernized now. The hutongs that we went to were awesome- in particular, there was this one little quaint street full of shops, restaurants and bars where we had dinner. It felt like the Distillery District in that its old, but obviously with a different feel. It was beautiful and I can't wait to head back there.
I feel like every day I am discovering something, learning something and seeing something, but when I sit down to write, all I remember is the past few days. For that, I instead will tell you all a little about my friends here.
Jenny, whom most of you know, is my other half. We live together and do basically everything together. We went for coffee tonight and talked about how glad we are that we have each other here. We really weren't friends back at home- we were friendly, I'd say, and I think if we hadn't come here, we probably would have never really gotten to know each other. The two of us have gotten along really well and as we said today, although we are different in many ways, we share a burning love for life and desire to experience as much as we can and that has brought us very close and has resulted in an amazing friendship and a better experience. There's lots of things about her that I admire and I feel ok saying this because she doesn't read my blog hahaha I really think I can learn from her laid-back lifestyle and her appreciation for the beauty that can be found in apparently unattractive things. It's hard to explain and the best example I can come up with is her love for photography. She takes pictures of...shit. Literally, things lying on the ground that I would have never noticed before and they turn out amazing. That approach to photography is how she lives life and I have started to take that on a bit and I've already seen how much greater everything can be.
Rebecka is my roommate from Sweden. If nothing else, I have learnt that the Swedish are rockstars and have provided us with music, furniture, companies and food that have impacted my life all along. Becks is a really sweet girl and the best part of her is how considerate she is. It has been fun to have her with us and I think that finding a better roommate would be hard. She is not loud like I am, so it's also nice to have someone to bring me back to ground and cool me off when I'm jumping off the walls. Becks is actually heading to Canada shortly for the Scotiabank Case Competition and I hope that all of you in London can meet her, greet her and show her a good time. She is my Chinese family (and believe me when I say that as much as I love them, they hold none of my heart in comparison to you out there) so treat her like it :)
Clare is an Aussie from Sydney who might be the happiest person I have ever met. She is always laughing, smiling and having a good time and as a result, making me have a good time. Dave is also from Sydney but has Chinese in him so he speaks Mandarin and knows the culture a bit better. He is fabulously gay and proud of it, making for really fun chats, checking outs and some hilarious laughs.
The five of us are like...the core 5, the five who party, play, cry and laugh together. From the very beginning of our friendship, a few weeks ago, there was no pretension, competition or secrets so we have managed to have a complete riot sharing everything ever since. We hang out pretty much every day and talk about everything, and I must say, I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life (ok that's a lie, but it's comparable to my greatest laughs). Dave and Clare are planning on coming to Toronto in November to visit so I hope everyone gets to meet them then.
Beyond the 5, there's many, many more people who have already claimed some of my heart and will be in my memories forever, but I feel like naming or explaining all of them would mean little to all of you and would take me far too long.
This weekend we are taking a trip to Harbin, a city at the very north of China that has a strong Russian influence, and I hope that I have many stories to share from that.
Hope all of you at home are living the dream. I saw Ben Dickie's "I go to Ivey" today and cried laughing. It is definitely bittersweet to be reminded of how much fun we have together and how much I love you all and Ivey. I miss it all dearly but I know you're going to be a huge part of my life for a very long time and I take comfort in that. Most of you reading this are my family (that I chose) and that will never go away, so that's what matters.
Love always,
C
Monday, March 9, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
I wrote this a few days ago and I am just posting it now
I am happy to report that internet has come to my house.
After 36 hours of grueling, no-internet time, the internet company has come to my new apartment and set it up, once again welcoming us to civilization. It feels nice. Crazy to think how dependent we have become on our computers for everything we do in our daily lives and even crazier to think that once upon a time, there was no internet.
So now that we are here, my roommates and I are busy planning our housewarming party, which is tomorrow night. (It is so weird having other roommates outside 223!!!! I miss you ladies!). We have invited our token local, Ted, who shows us around and introduces us to his friends, as well as 30ish exchange students. I'd say by now we are half undergrad and half MBA, removing us from being the babies amongst our friends. I am interested to see how it turns out. Most people have been here a week or so and don't have many friends so they are eager to meet people so hopefully everyone opens up, feels comfortable and has a good time. I have been searching for cups fit for flip cup just in case conversation is lacking and we need to get people into the mood. I've failed so far so that's not great. We got finger foods and beer for literally no money. A huge bottle of beer (each is probably 3 or 4 cans of beer) is 2.5 kuai- which is about 50 cents. JGao and I are happy because Jacks Monday's got nothing on us!
Other than that, life has been revolving around classes since we just started. Let's see, my first class was a first year accounting course which I left 20 minutes into because I knew Ivey would not approve of it...my second course was intermediate macro, which was actually great because the prof is awesome. My third class was one of the most interesting experiences I have had here. We come in for Global Business Analyst Team Project and there's about 7 of us exchange students and then locals. The class starts. Mandarin. The powerpoint starts. Mandarin. Someone mentions the class is supposed to be an English class. WHAT? The prof was SO confused. He told us he is not a good teacher in English because he has to think about the words and not the concepts and so at first break (classes are 3 hours with 5 minute break each hour) the exchange students got together and decided to ask him if we could do a project instead of the class for him (ie. write a case) and he agreed! It was fantastic. He doesn't want to teach in English at all so this works for everyone.
Today I had Developmental Economics and so far, I am very much looking forward to this course. ND, I thought of you the entire way through and how much you would enjoy sitting there with me. The course talks about economics in different types of countries as well as all of the aspects that affect the development of a nation- from health care, to education, to traditions. Already today the course was interesting. There's a lot of exchange students from all over the world and there's lots of locals so it makes for an interesting conversation about cultures and it is eye-opening to see how different cultures perceive the world and themselves. We spend a good chunk of the class looking at The World Factbook statistics and talking about why some countries may be where they are in certain stats. It reminded me of my Politics of Latin America course at UWO two years ago in that you talk about really interesting things but having this class with people from all over the world takes it to a whole new level.
I must be off to get my cell phone set up (finally!!!) and get a DVD player for our pad but hopefully it is easier to communicate now that I have internet at home and classes are rolling.
Much love.
After 36 hours of grueling, no-internet time, the internet company has come to my new apartment and set it up, once again welcoming us to civilization. It feels nice. Crazy to think how dependent we have become on our computers for everything we do in our daily lives and even crazier to think that once upon a time, there was no internet.
So now that we are here, my roommates and I are busy planning our housewarming party, which is tomorrow night. (It is so weird having other roommates outside 223!!!! I miss you ladies!). We have invited our token local, Ted, who shows us around and introduces us to his friends, as well as 30ish exchange students. I'd say by now we are half undergrad and half MBA, removing us from being the babies amongst our friends. I am interested to see how it turns out. Most people have been here a week or so and don't have many friends so they are eager to meet people so hopefully everyone opens up, feels comfortable and has a good time. I have been searching for cups fit for flip cup just in case conversation is lacking and we need to get people into the mood. I've failed so far so that's not great. We got finger foods and beer for literally no money. A huge bottle of beer (each is probably 3 or 4 cans of beer) is 2.5 kuai- which is about 50 cents. JGao and I are happy because Jacks Monday's got nothing on us!
Other than that, life has been revolving around classes since we just started. Let's see, my first class was a first year accounting course which I left 20 minutes into because I knew Ivey would not approve of it...my second course was intermediate macro, which was actually great because the prof is awesome. My third class was one of the most interesting experiences I have had here. We come in for Global Business Analyst Team Project and there's about 7 of us exchange students and then locals. The class starts. Mandarin. The powerpoint starts. Mandarin. Someone mentions the class is supposed to be an English class. WHAT? The prof was SO confused. He told us he is not a good teacher in English because he has to think about the words and not the concepts and so at first break (classes are 3 hours with 5 minute break each hour) the exchange students got together and decided to ask him if we could do a project instead of the class for him (ie. write a case) and he agreed! It was fantastic. He doesn't want to teach in English at all so this works for everyone.
Today I had Developmental Economics and so far, I am very much looking forward to this course. ND, I thought of you the entire way through and how much you would enjoy sitting there with me. The course talks about economics in different types of countries as well as all of the aspects that affect the development of a nation- from health care, to education, to traditions. Already today the course was interesting. There's a lot of exchange students from all over the world and there's lots of locals so it makes for an interesting conversation about cultures and it is eye-opening to see how different cultures perceive the world and themselves. We spend a good chunk of the class looking at The World Factbook statistics and talking about why some countries may be where they are in certain stats. It reminded me of my Politics of Latin America course at UWO two years ago in that you talk about really interesting things but having this class with people from all over the world takes it to a whole new level.
I must be off to get my cell phone set up (finally!!!) and get a DVD player for our pad but hopefully it is easier to communicate now that I have internet at home and classes are rolling.
Much love.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wishing I was there
I am missing home today.
Not because things here are sub-par but because I found out today that my aunt in Colombia is on life support because she suddenly stopped breathing and that one of my BFFs had surgery last week.
It's just one of those days....
Not because things here are sub-par but because I found out today that my aunt in Colombia is on life support because she suddenly stopped breathing and that one of my BFFs had surgery last week.
It's just one of those days....
5 days into it...
Hello hello!
I've been in Beijing for a few days now and it's about time I give you all a better idea of what I am up to and tell you about the city.
Since I got here, JG has been my saviour with her incredible Mandarin skills and as a result, we have been able to make many great successes.
The newest success is that we found an apartment to live in. It is close to campus, close to the subway station, close to food and grocery stores and close to our friends. One thing that I have found very interesting about Beijing is that they really don't take any care at all of the public areas or the outside of buildings. You see these concrete blocks that look dirty and not really appealing, walk inside to find concrete floors and poorly painted walls that have marks from hands, shoes, etc and really don't get a great impression of the place. However, you walk into the actual apartments and more often than not, they are quite nice. Our place has tiled floor in the common area and hardwood in the bedrooms, nice taupe-ish walls and crown molding. There are three rooms, all of good size, and two bathrooms. The closets are good although with the little clothes we have here, this was never going to be an issue. The kitchen is of a good size and the dining room table is beautiful- it is good and fits 6 people around the rectangle. The living room is connected to the dining area and there's three navy blue leather couches. There's also two sunrooms that are supposed to be used to dry clothes because there's no such thing as a dryer in rented apartments here. Overall, I am really excited to live there, the place is clean and it feels homey and inviting. The common space is big enough to host decent dinner parties and pre-drinks as well so you can all imagine how happy I feel. We are signing tomorrow and hopefully moving in directly after, and looking at having a house warming on Friday for our friends.
I must make a point to tell you all about the city of Beijing and what I've found so far. I don't know how you all picture the city but in all honesty, I imagined a place that looked gray, old and unlike what I am used to. To my surprise, I found a city with wide, spacious streets and sidewalks, beautiful buildings, sky scrapers and a Time Square look-alike corner every few blocks. The cleanliness of the city really impacted me although it can rightfully be attributed to the Olympics. The one other thing that I have really loved is how friendly strangers are. Coming from India, where people gave me dirty looks when I smiled at them, and Toronto, where people barely look at each other, I have been surprised to see that most people smile back at me. It is so welcoming and it makes the language barrier a tad less intimidating. The food has been incredible so far...the Chinese have something great here. The combination of flavours and textures is something that you really need to get into, but once you do- there's so much to explore and most of it tastes so delicious!! We also found a sushi place with really good sushi. It is very close to our school and our apartment and it has the conveyor belts that just flow food through and you pick up whatever you want. It was cheap, too! I paid 30 kuai for dinner, which is about $5-6 canadian. Oh I also found my new favourite candy! They sell fruit on a stick dipped in caramel everywhere and it is so yummy!!! To save myself from becoming a whale, I have done my best to restrain myself when I see them but it is such a great treat!
Exploring the city has been really fun, finding new grocery stores, markets, nail places and cool restaurants every time we venture out into the cold. Hopefully it gets warm soon. The locals say this is a cold front and it should pass quickly and I'm crossing my fingers hoping they're right.
Today was a frustrating day but we finally successfully registered for our courses. Just so you can all point and laugh, I am taking things like stats, macroecon, developmental economics (which I am uber pumped about) and other equally thrilling courses. It should be an interesting semester even academically, as I am really stepping out of my comfort zone and taking courses that I don't know much about- hopefully I will emerge with a whole new lot of knowledge!
Ok then, I am off to get ready for dinner. A few of us are going out for hot pot- my first time! I am very excited.
Zai jian!!!
Cat
I've been in Beijing for a few days now and it's about time I give you all a better idea of what I am up to and tell you about the city.
Since I got here, JG has been my saviour with her incredible Mandarin skills and as a result, we have been able to make many great successes.
The newest success is that we found an apartment to live in. It is close to campus, close to the subway station, close to food and grocery stores and close to our friends. One thing that I have found very interesting about Beijing is that they really don't take any care at all of the public areas or the outside of buildings. You see these concrete blocks that look dirty and not really appealing, walk inside to find concrete floors and poorly painted walls that have marks from hands, shoes, etc and really don't get a great impression of the place. However, you walk into the actual apartments and more often than not, they are quite nice. Our place has tiled floor in the common area and hardwood in the bedrooms, nice taupe-ish walls and crown molding. There are three rooms, all of good size, and two bathrooms. The closets are good although with the little clothes we have here, this was never going to be an issue. The kitchen is of a good size and the dining room table is beautiful- it is good and fits 6 people around the rectangle. The living room is connected to the dining area and there's three navy blue leather couches. There's also two sunrooms that are supposed to be used to dry clothes because there's no such thing as a dryer in rented apartments here. Overall, I am really excited to live there, the place is clean and it feels homey and inviting. The common space is big enough to host decent dinner parties and pre-drinks as well so you can all imagine how happy I feel. We are signing tomorrow and hopefully moving in directly after, and looking at having a house warming on Friday for our friends.
I must make a point to tell you all about the city of Beijing and what I've found so far. I don't know how you all picture the city but in all honesty, I imagined a place that looked gray, old and unlike what I am used to. To my surprise, I found a city with wide, spacious streets and sidewalks, beautiful buildings, sky scrapers and a Time Square look-alike corner every few blocks. The cleanliness of the city really impacted me although it can rightfully be attributed to the Olympics. The one other thing that I have really loved is how friendly strangers are. Coming from India, where people gave me dirty looks when I smiled at them, and Toronto, where people barely look at each other, I have been surprised to see that most people smile back at me. It is so welcoming and it makes the language barrier a tad less intimidating. The food has been incredible so far...the Chinese have something great here. The combination of flavours and textures is something that you really need to get into, but once you do- there's so much to explore and most of it tastes so delicious!! We also found a sushi place with really good sushi. It is very close to our school and our apartment and it has the conveyor belts that just flow food through and you pick up whatever you want. It was cheap, too! I paid 30 kuai for dinner, which is about $5-6 canadian. Oh I also found my new favourite candy! They sell fruit on a stick dipped in caramel everywhere and it is so yummy!!! To save myself from becoming a whale, I have done my best to restrain myself when I see them but it is such a great treat!
Exploring the city has been really fun, finding new grocery stores, markets, nail places and cool restaurants every time we venture out into the cold. Hopefully it gets warm soon. The locals say this is a cold front and it should pass quickly and I'm crossing my fingers hoping they're right.
Today was a frustrating day but we finally successfully registered for our courses. Just so you can all point and laugh, I am taking things like stats, macroecon, developmental economics (which I am uber pumped about) and other equally thrilling courses. It should be an interesting semester even academically, as I am really stepping out of my comfort zone and taking courses that I don't know much about- hopefully I will emerge with a whole new lot of knowledge!
Ok then, I am off to get ready for dinner. A few of us are going out for hot pot- my first time! I am very excited.
Zai jian!!!
Cat
Saturday, February 21, 2009
I HAVE A SUPER COOL ASIAN AFRO FRIEND
He is in my facebook profile pic if anyone is wondering.
We met him last night at a bar and we thought his hair was incredible so we took pictures with him. Then we found out he has a band and so I gave him my email so he would tell me when his band is playing and my friends and I could check it out.
I just received this:
Hey,Catalina
How are u.Next Saturday my band play at D22 . U want coming?
Aha . and can u tell me your MSN? i convenient talking 2 u,and HBA candidate is great！
Cheers ！
SOOOOO ASIAN! SO EXCITED!!! hahahahahaha
We met him last night at a bar and we thought his hair was incredible so we took pictures with him. Then we found out he has a band and so I gave him my email so he would tell me when his band is playing and my friends and I could check it out.
I just received this:
Hey,Catalina
How are u.Next Saturday my band play at D22 . U want coming?
Aha . and can u tell me your MSN? i convenient talking 2 u,and HBA candidate is great！
Cheers ！
SOOOOO ASIAN! SO EXCITED!!! hahahahahaha
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Finally in Beijing
Hey everyone!
So I finally arrived in Beijing yesterday after an amazing 10 days in India.
The trip was incredible. AE, MZ, AB and I had a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend India as a travel destination to anyone looking for a place with history, religion and good food. My favourite thing was definitely the Taj Mahal, but that is a pretty obvious one. It is majestic though, the delicate details make it truly beautiful in a very simple yet elegant way. Delhi has a lot to see and do, so we enjoyed many temples, forts and restaurants. Other than that, the wedding was amazing. It was AB's cousin and his family treated us like we were a part of their family- few times in my life have I felt so welcome after meeting someone and considering the magnitude of the occasion and how busy they all were, it made for an overwhelmingly positive experience. There are pictures up on facebook- check them out. I haven't really put comments on what everything is because I'm tired and busy adjusting but I will one day...maybe. They look pretty regardless!!!!
Ok so I am in Beijing and so far, I'm into it. Everything is much more beautiful than I expected and the campus is gorgeous. The worst thing (even worse than not being able to communicate with anyone) is the shower though. They suggest you shower between 7-9, 3-5 or 8-10 but I showered at 9.15 and there was either boiling hot water or ice cold water. I may still have shampoo in my hair because I could not deal with it for longer...abysmal!!! That, in addition to wanting a kitchen and to be closer to the subway, is sending JGao and I on a search for an apartment. If all fails, we will be great in residence, but the idea of having a place to cook and temperate water sounds amazing. Will keep you all posted on how our search turns out.
Today, we are off to Tianamen Square and to see some other Beijing sites around the area- should be exciting!!!
Much love
Cat
So I finally arrived in Beijing yesterday after an amazing 10 days in India.
The trip was incredible. AE, MZ, AB and I had a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend India as a travel destination to anyone looking for a place with history, religion and good food. My favourite thing was definitely the Taj Mahal, but that is a pretty obvious one. It is majestic though, the delicate details make it truly beautiful in a very simple yet elegant way. Delhi has a lot to see and do, so we enjoyed many temples, forts and restaurants. Other than that, the wedding was amazing. It was AB's cousin and his family treated us like we were a part of their family- few times in my life have I felt so welcome after meeting someone and considering the magnitude of the occasion and how busy they all were, it made for an overwhelmingly positive experience. There are pictures up on facebook- check them out. I haven't really put comments on what everything is because I'm tired and busy adjusting but I will one day...maybe. They look pretty regardless!!!!
Ok so I am in Beijing and so far, I'm into it. Everything is much more beautiful than I expected and the campus is gorgeous. The worst thing (even worse than not being able to communicate with anyone) is the shower though. They suggest you shower between 7-9, 3-5 or 8-10 but I showered at 9.15 and there was either boiling hot water or ice cold water. I may still have shampoo in my hair because I could not deal with it for longer...abysmal!!! That, in addition to wanting a kitchen and to be closer to the subway, is sending JGao and I on a search for an apartment. If all fails, we will be great in residence, but the idea of having a place to cook and temperate water sounds amazing. Will keep you all posted on how our search turns out.
Today, we are off to Tianamen Square and to see some other Beijing sites around the area- should be exciting!!!
Much love
Cat
Friday, February 6, 2009
At least we all get street cred from AB's misfortunes
I am sure most of you have heard about this by now, but one of my very best friends has been deported from Germany, contributing to the diversity of people I know and experiences I am familiar with. If you're reading this, it probably means that you are friends with him as well and as a result can also tell people that you have a friend who was once deported. Growing up (aka life outside of UWO) is already proving to be tougher than we thought.
The downside of the increase in street cred I recently acquired is that it made for an intense and stressful day yesterday. Why? Because if AB can't be in Germany, he has to go somewhere...and the Germans have 10192873548392029816 laws and rules of how/when/where/why you can re-apply for a student visa, long story short, leading our friend back to Canada.
So, you know how I was going to India with him to see his family and go to his cousin's wedding next week? About that. Now you can start to picture what was going through my head yesterday.
Anyway, the story does have a happy(ish) ending.
India is still a go for myself, MZ and AE. We'll have to make do without our favourite India man (sorry RP) but we will still get to see Delhi , Jaipur and a baller Indian wedding. That leaves me now with 3 days in this country before I go hang out with AB's parents- but stay tuned for some fantastic pictures that I plan to take in India and post on facebook.
Love alwayssssss
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