Beijing, Nov 25-Dec 1 (from the future)

Of course the day I left I start to hear Chinese more easily again. It became slightly familiar but no less startling at times (Americans and Chinese may well be as loud as the other). This experience made me aware that Chinese arranges itself differently inside one’s head, that language and culture are indeed inextricable, that the order/chaos the sounds of Chinese distribute into the ether mimic accurately the way people interact on the streets, walking, in cabs, in cars, on subways: there is a space to fill and someone will fill it, but will not bump into his neighbor. It’s the space between the notes in music as well, where we understand what we are hearing. Listening to French now has become like listening to English, defining “all is relative” in a linguistic way. I love language so much. Just watched a sitcom in French (as I’ve been doing every night; so amazing how French sounds almost like my language compared to Chinese. I almost don’t think about the meaning, which is so cool right now for me). I love French. On this particular sitcom, I heard “besoin” and thought it was from Canada. Sounded like “be zoin.” True nuff. What a funny dialect. Different expressions, even.

Teaching and coaching in Beijing were awesome experiences.

On the flip side, I found it hard to know where to break in socially. As I don't speak Chinese, and didn't know many people in Beijing, I ended up spending a lot of time on my own. This is not different or bad, just a realization, and after several days made me understand wanting to go down to the hotel lobby just because I saw a few Westerners. What would that lead to? I wondered. Would I talk to them at a cafe or bar in San Francisco, San Diego, Pittsburgh? Nope. A dinner I don’t really want, conversation that is perhaps forced, an awkward entry into a group I don’t know OR: the most fun I’ve had since in Beijing, a nice surprise in some way (as Hong Kong was, talking to the flight crew from BA), a new business opportunity. (I ordered in and watched BBC and wrote instead.)

The night before I left, I had a Chinese massage (Tui Na, I think) and to be honest, ended up wondering what else really happens down there in that spa basement, although it was (because it was?) a five-star hotel. Was very sore the next day. The day after that, not sore at all. I am convinced that sleeping well, doing yoga every day, getting massage, and eating well are keeping my healthy in the midst of a coughing nation. There were two chairs in one room, and an ashtray; a bathtub, a TV, a changing room. In another room, there was a big bed with flowers on it and pillows and two rolled up towels. Hm. “Julie”, no. 66, at one point, got on the table, all 42 kg of her, and stuck her piledriver-like thumbs all down my spine (not a bad thing) but after a time I wished to be done soon, as I was sure “Julie” was trying to a-kill me.

Over the weekend I went to the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tianan'men and Forbidden City today. I climbed the Great Wall for two hours and found myself wanting to go farther. Thinking of Bill Bryson and his Appalachian Trail experience, I turned back, figuring that no food, water, sleeping bag, or Chinese language skills would serve me badly. I went the steep way because everyone and their mother and cousin went the other way. Glad I did that. I met a bunch of people on the way, two of whom (teenaged Chinese guys) asked to take a picture with me. There still remains a sort of "ooooh, she's a foreigner" here. Despite the occasional German group, I have been the only laowei around. My favorite game is to laugh out loud (which is what I often do, anyhow, at least at home) and then furtively look around and see the reactions. I find that people react the same way I do to the clearing the throat, hawking, and inevitable spitting (often right at my heels it'snotaboutme) thing. Like this WHAAAA?!$%^&$#? Is she craaaazy?


I am practicing Chinese a tiny bit and need to try better to understand Chinese carrots! (That's what my tour guide called Chinese "characters".) She also called the basketball arena the bicycle arena and I was confused for an hour or so. Oh, and "Take 9-1 and then 9-4 to get to For beed en Ceet" which means "Take LINE 1 and then LINE 9 to get to Forbidden City." Some southern dialects of Chinese have no difference between the l and n sounds. (Yes, I am nerd.)

Tokyo comes next...what a 180-degree turn.