Week+One

Week One It’s about 9:30 pm, and while my sweet roommates are all fast asleep after an exhausting day of sightseeing, I’m staying up in the firmest bed I have ever slept in to finally get a blog post going. Writing is like breathing for me, so it’s been hard not having this outlet. But as I prepare to recount the events of the last three days, I feel like it’s absolutely impossible to describe this place so that everyone back in North Carolina can understand just what it’s like. Don’t worry- I packed my teacher brain in my suitcase, which leads me to a new understanding just three days in- being here makes me realize how important it is for students to be presented with the most accurate and authentic information as possible when learning about other countries, because the China I have come to know through this first-hand experience is unlike anything I have ever learned about China in school. I’ve taken more pictures in the past three days than I’ve taken in the past three years combined, but my posts will probably consist of just a few shots from each day. Dr. Faulkner- consider this my way of “working at 60%.” For Devin, Reagan, Sofie, Max, and my third graders- Here's a picture of the flight tracker on my flight to Beijing as I just had passed by the North Pole!
 * April 2nd **

My mom, dad, sister, niece, and nephew saw me off at the RDU airport for what would be my first flight ever, and I would be doing it alone, all the way to China. After a 13-hour flight, I made it to Beijing around 12:30 am on Sunday morning, so I felt like I skipped an entire day of life. I was greeted by a staff member from Beijing Royal School holding a sign that said "North Carolina State University" and she brought me to my apartment. I took a lukewarm shower that smelled like rotten eggs, unpacked, and got a few hours of sleep before we were back up at 8 am. Since I arrived so late the night before, this was the first time I could see the view outside my window.

As you can see, there are no clear blue skies or sunlight to be seen, as the air is filled with smog. We were supposed to meet our advisors at 8:30 for breakfast and an orientation, so we had a few extra minutes to roam around the courtyard outside our apartment. Our place is just one of many, many apartment buildings near the school, so the courtyard is used by people of all ages, but it's most popular with the elderly who can be found doing Tai Chi and other exercises. On this particular morning, we saw some women dancing with swords and some intense ping-pong matches inside an area similar to a senior center- but with holes in the walls.

Here’s me on a donkey- if only Raisin were this cooperative.

We had breakfast in the school cafeteria- I opted for a soft boiled egg and some dumplings- but I gave up on those after they slipped through my chopsticks one too many times. We thought we would be finding out more about our teaching placements from an administrator named Martha, but after meeting her, she was off to another meeting. Chinese people live by a custom called “saving face,” which means avoiding placing shame or embarrassing another person. This often involves many last-minute schedule changes to avoid seeming like you didn’t prepare for them promptly. We have no idea who or what we will be teaching yet, but that’s okay since the next three days are a holiday where Chinese people pay respect to their deceased family members.

Later in the afternoon, we took the bus to the mall to visit a French store called Carrefour. It's HUGE and has a wider variety of goods than I have ever seen in one place before- some really fascinating stuff.The bus experience really deserves its own entry. First big culture shock! The bus stops for about two seconds at each stop, and you are literally smashed against the person next to you. To get on or off, you have to push, shove, and fight your way through the crowd. It is on the bus where I first experienced something I have never felt in my life- people staring at me because I am a foreigner. It happens everywhere we go, and people are especially fascinated with Melissa's blonde hair. Monday morning, we all woke up really early although we didn’t have to be ready until 10:30- I guess we still weren’t quite accustomed to the time change. I went for a run on the track and saw some pretty hilarious fitness equipment- a treadmill made of coils that you push backwards with your feet to move.We later met our advisors and headed to Wangfujing street by subway- which is actually surprisingly simple to navigate but just as crowded as the buses. Wangfujung is like the equivalent of Times Square, amd includes a section called “snack street" by our advisors, which is where people buy street food. It was quite an experience. Take a look at these scorpions-

People bite right into them while they’re still wiggling around. We also saw tofu that’s been left to mold until it’s black, along with live squids, seahorses, and fruit covered in hardened sugar. Although the food was rather nauseating, there were beautiful red lanterns decorating that entire section. It was a good thing that we had eaten lunch BEFORE going to snack street! Our lunch was delicious- I ordered a noodle bowl with shrimp and veggies. In China, there are no separate checks, so you have to figure out how much each person owes and turn in the total amount at once. Lots of metnal math involved. Our entire meal for nine people cost the equivalent of about 50 US dollars for twice the amount of food you would receive in a US restaurant. Wafujing street is also home to a gorgeous Catholic Church, which is surprising because religion is kind of under the radar in China. After snack street, we headed to the Silk Market, which is an overwhelming place with 6 levels full of knock-off clothing, shoes, and also many gift items and jewelry. No items are priced, so you have to negotiate every item you buy. I treated myself to a bracelet. In the US, bracelets are always way too big for me, but these were the perfect size so I couldn’t pass one up. We took another cramped subway ride back to BRS. Tomorrow, we’ll visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Can you guess what this is used for?