The Nicest Compliments

I was having a rough night...was interacting with a rather exhausting group of people (who were kind of hard to get along with), and was just tired in general.

After dinner, a good friend and I saw down to eat fruit and work on some translation. She said thoughtfully, "You know, I think you are the best foreigner I have known...I mean, you know the saying 'When in Rome, do as the Romans'? Well, you really try to love and adapt to China well...I think this touches me a lot. You do this better than the other foreigners I have observed."

Tears came to my eyes a bit. "Thank you." I said. "That means a lot to me. I do love China, and I am trying to adapt...it is hard a lot...I'm always learning."

"And you don't have to adapt to everything." She added. "You know, some things in China you should not adapt to...but I mean, you do a good job of really living out that you want to be here...some people say they do, but seem to dislike everything about China...that really hurts me sometimes."

That was one of the kindest things that someone had said to encourage me that week. Sometimes I have been irritated with how blunt my friends sometimes are...but when it comes to compliments, my close friends always seem to observe and encourage in exactly what way I need, and in such a timely manner (excluding the funny compliments I get about how beautiful my eyes are, or how girls want my legs...after a while those things aren't all that meaningful).

Likewise, I really hope I am able to encourage my local friends in what they need as well...my friend was so touched when I told her "My doing this (favor) for you is not about guanxi (system of "you scratch my back, I scratch yours"), I am doing it because you are like a sister to me and I really want to." Tears came to her eyes and she said, "That means a lot to me."

I'm really thankful for friends like these....

Outdoors

I love being outside. Well, I love being outside when the weather allows. Any day now it will be unbearably cold up here in Northern China, so for now I'm enjoying the chance I have to be outside.

First, I got to spend a lovely day at the park last week with my friend of 3+ years who came into town to visit...I hadn't seen him since 2008, even though I've been in China for the last year, I kept being out of town when he would come back to the city to visit...so it was good to see him at last. During the summer of 08 when I was on a teaching exchange program here, he and 2 of of our other friends (who I sometimes referred to as the 3 musketeers) were my best friends in the city....I have some really good memories with them, so I was so happy to get to reunite.

An interesting aspect of our visit, besides the fact that we are now older (if not wiser), is that our roles have been reversed conversationally. When I came a few years ago, I only knew basic Chinese, not enough to carry on a conversation (a fact which he gleefully recounted with laughter, marveling at how I could now converse with him in Mandarin). A few years ago we conversed in English (his third language, and one he was not particularly comfortable in). So, it was my turn to be inferior in language ability... :-)

Anyways, we had a nice time in the park and it was good to be outside.

Popular park activities in China include:

-tai chi (which I have only tried once)

-feeding pigeons (which I did...those with bird phobias steer clear)

-boating (usually an animal shaped paddle boat on some dirty green or brown water)

-fishing for goldfish (kids do this, but I always want to jump in!)

(view from our duck paddle boat)

Smiles

I have a 人人网 account (the Chinese version of facebook...in fact it is almost exactly the same...just in Mandarin of course). Anyhow, I recently left a comment on a friend's photo saying "真好看啊” (rough translation: it looks pretty) and that she and her boyfriend looked like models. She responded with this comment: "Thank you~~You always behave like a gentle princess, and you are the model for me." Oh man....seriously, my friends here know how to bestow a compliment.

Insert Sigh of Contentment

School is out! (Chinese holidays are a little different than in the U.S....we get half of January and all of February off).

That said, many of my friends have gone home for the holidays, but I'm grateful for some chill time before I do a little traveling. I also get to spend some concentrated time with the people who are still in town, like many of my friends from my English Corner.

Lots of little things blessed/touched me this week:

• My friend giving me a box of Crystal Light Energy that she got in a package...I love that stuff!
• Another friend bending over backwards to help me set up a Chinese bank account and get set up with taobao.com (the Chinese ebay!).
• One of my teachers randomly telling before our final that I was "really pretty". Random, but I like compliments. ha My theory is since our final was an hour later than our class usually is, I looked awake for once. ha
• A friend's husband who plays the guitar serenading me with some Jay Chou songs (he even tried to imitate his voice for me, ha!)
• Finding out that Bi Rain is performing in Beijing in March! I have GOT to go!

What blessed your week?

北京

(View from a traditional tea shop in Beijing)

I recently traveled to Beijing for a weekend to visit a good friend of mine.

Highlights of the weekend:

• Seeing my friend of course :-) I have known her since 2007, and haven't seen her since 2008, so it was great to visit!


• Enjoying a bit of cable tv in my hotel room :-) I learned about plastic surgery in China, and caught up on some news.


• Getting lost on our first night searching for a baozi restaurant (and being told by a man who we asked for directions from, "Why do you want to go there? That food isn't good!" As a resident of the province famous for its baozi, I was a little offended)


• Exploring the renovated hutong area in the Dongcheng district that has been turned into an artsy shopping area with S. and her co-worker. We discovered this photography studio: http://pmtphoto.com/ The website doesn't do it justice...I will be returning if I am in Beijing again!


• Discovering that it is a popular hobby to collect matchboxes...I jumped on the bandwagon with this purchase:

(Jay Chou matchbox collectibles! ha)



• Enjoying a tea house/learning about tea ceremonies (I got a passing grade on my tea performance)


• Being treated to a traditional Beijing dinner (that included some elbows, livers, hearts, and stomach)
  
• Meeting my friend's family, and adorable little four-year-old cousins who had learned some English songs and sang them for me (and called me Julie Aiyi, so cute. Aiyi "auntie" is what children or younger people will call an older girl).


• Walking in the park...seeing the sun was SUCH a blessing!


• Being treated to Beijing roasted duck at the best Beijing duck restaurant in town...I have to say, it was DELICIOUS! The duck was the best meat I have ever had (of any sort) and the deep-fried tofu was divine. I was too preoccupied with tasting to take photos, sorry! http://quanjude.com.cn/e_about.html


• Seeing the oldest church in Beijing...the foundation was built in 1605, but the current building was built in 1904 (there were several, the previous one was destroyed in the Boxer Rebellion).


• Being told by one of our hosts, Mr. Lee, "You should become a call girl". It took a few minutes of clarification, laughter on mine and my friend's part, and blank stares before we figured out he meant "cowgirl" because I am from Texas. Side note: I have been mistaken for a Russian prostitute before. Thanks. lol

• Enjoying the Christmas cups at Starbucks! This is one of the official cues that the Christmas season has started...and I happen to like the slogan this year. :-)

Side note: I collect Starbucks coffee mugs...the collection is coming along quite nicely. :-)

While it was a somewhat exhausting visit, it was super sweet to see my friend and to have the opportunity to explore the place she calls home now. :-) I am blessed.