Lost in China...and Proxy Found

It has now been a little over a week since I got to China and much has happened that will require posts upon posts to catch up with. One reason you have not heard from me is due to the fact that proxies are a tough commodity these days. First you should go to check out some picture I posted recently here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22759391@N08/ (these are all from my phone since I had issues with plugging in my camera...those will be posted soon).

DAY 1.
Now I'll try to start with the arrival in Beijing. So after the 40 of us in the program got to Beijing after a 13 hour flight, which was only two hours in fact, we were all checked for swine flu by the government health officials with a hear seeking ray gun as found in the Jetsons. Little did we know, we would soon get to know this temperature gun very well over the next week or so. Each day we have been checked for our temperature to make sure we don't bring in another case of the swine flu. We were told to limit our interactions with Chinese students on the Heilongjiang campus once we got to Harbin and basically self-quarantine ourselves, but that started a few days later. In Beijing we stayed at Houhai, a pretty area right next to a bunch of hutongs (the famous Beijing alleyways where most people used to live) and a major bar district. So the first Beijing dinner we had was great...gongbao jiding (kung pao chicken), tieban niurou (beef in sizzling dish), a basi dish (candied floss...more like caramel sugar-like stuff covering fruit), and more. It really is great to eat real Chinese food again and makes me appreciate how much better it is than American Chinese food. At night, we had some China issues as usual. One was acquiring towels. So we asked for "maojin" which translates to washcloth and got a towel about a foot long. Then we had sink problems as it wouldn't drain and the fuwuyuanr (desk person) came over to fix it in no time at all. We didn't look too smart when we could not figure out how to push the drain in but it was our first day and all. Later that night one of the directors warned us of the danger of the "wenzi" (mosquitoes) if we kept our door open but there were none to be found. I think the Chinese have a phobia of the wenzi.

Day 2.
I woke up early to grab my first jianbing in years (literally). Ever since my program a few years ago in China I have had jianbing as my desktop background. They are that good. So a friend from the program and I found the nearest stand and discovered the word for the crunching thing that goes in the middle of the jianbing (which gives it the crunch): "bao cui" or crispy thin (cooking style) - this is what my dictionary told me at least. Still no idea what it is made out of. So then I was off on a mission to meet up with my good friend Charlie and Chengwei, a Chinese friend of mine. On the subway over to Wudaokou, I noticed a few differences right away. One was the Line 15 changes...no longer does a person have to walk a mile outside to make the transfer, but you still have to walk a mile doors on moving sidewalks. And the "fapiao" people are gone (those that asked for transfer receipts to hawk them off to their employers for a buck). The city instituted a new ticket system in the meantime, using electronic reusable cards that machines swallow at the final stop you make. Since I had some time to spare in Wudaokou I walked along the street to Beida to see my former home. I was shocked that it didn't change much in two years. Much was the same, save a few stores and restaurants here and there. Campus was the same old, great campus, except this time everyone had to show ID to get in, including Beida students. After hanging out at a lake on campus for a bit (including my first of many pictures with Chinese people) I headed over to our old favorite restaurant in the area, a Yunnan style place. The food was great, as was catching up with friends. After that it was time to check out the Bird's Nest (the Olympic Stadium) and the Water Cube (housing the swimming pool and other water events). I was blown away but how huge an area the central Olympics studiums take up. The space must be multiple times bigger than Tiananmen Square. I was wondering to myself how many people and businesses must have been displaced from the area for the massive construction project. After taking lots of pics and being asked to take my picture by Chinese people yet again (but this time with the Olympic Mascots!), it was time for Beijing Kaoya (Peking Duck) with the program. I'll say that it wasn't the best duck but still great! I did sure miss not being able to eat the Duck Heart, as it is by far the best part of the duck in my opinion.

Day 3.
The last day in BJ consisted of breakfast in rainy Beijing, the 798 modern art district, a Sichuan style lunch, US embassy visit, another visit to the Silk Market, and then Bill's BBQ. I'll always remember the guy from Bill's Texas BBQ, our last taste of the West before Haerbin. After we got settled at our table a waiter came over and said "Ni Howdy!" in a thick Beijing accent. It was one of the funniest things I have seen. Later in the night he only addressed us with "Howdy Partner." Ah China. Later that night it was time to go to our program base in Haerbin, at Heilongjiang University. After a long night train, we made it to Haerbin and were welcomed by all the staff and students that were to guide us through the summer.

So far the program has been a blast. Sure it is a lot of work and has been intense much of the time, but everyone is friendly and wants us to improve our Chinese. It's a great environment, if not bizarre one with all of the Russians everywhere. We'll just say that I've already been spoken to in Russian and been toasted to Stalin by the Harbin people. More to come soon...