Happy New Year! Welcome 2011!

It's been a big year for me....I did move to China after all. So, thought I would do a run-down of the year (well, since I moved to China)...before that a lot of my year was about making the decision to move here and preparing (and freaking out a little bit).

July

Moved to China

Visited Hong Kong (I wasn't a huge fan...it was too crowded)

Taught at an English Camp

Visited Xilinhot and witnessed a Mongolian Nadaam Festival (also where the kissing with a Mongolian cowboy occured...see my post entitled "A Romance on the Plains with Michael Jackson")

August

Bought Jay Chou concert tickets and became his biggest fan

My friend Tiara visited

Registered for school, and had an eventful health exam which included me passing out

September

Started school

Went to the Jay Chou concert

Hosted my first murder mystery party

Met a demon-possessed woman
Experienced poverty week, where I lived on less than 5 kuai a day

Visited the mountains outside the city limits and saw the remains of the Great Wall

Visited Baotou

October

Visited Chengdu, and the pandas

Visited Shanghai and saw the site of the first Communist Party Congress, and saw the World Expo

Celebrated my first Halloween in China (and appeared as Lady Gaga)

November

Celebrated my first Thanksgiving away from home

Visited my dear friend Silvia in Beijing

Saw Harry Potter!!

December

Had my first freak-out moment with local friends...it bonded us a lot

Got to know my classmates better over Korean food, Christmas parties, and a musical meal!

Things I Am Looking Forward To In 2011:
Visiting Beijing again

Vacationing in Thailand during the school break (well, I'm going to meetings and working for part of it...but it will be nice to be doing that in warm weather)

Seeing The Green Hornet (Jay Chou speaking English....so cute!)

Visiting Taiwan

Developing relationships with local friends more!

Tis the season...

of Christmas parties! I absolutely love Christmas, and while celebrating it overseas definitely has a different feel than at home in the States, it's a really neat time with friends here.

My roommate and I recently hosted several Christmas parties, and decided to do one for our classmates at the university.
Picture students from 5 countries, speaking what is not a first language for any of us, and all hanging out in our living room. You know what? It wasn't awkward at all. I think all of us have been a little homesick recently, so it was a blessing to be able to come together and get to know each other better, and just have a laid-back, great time! I think it was one of my favorite parties that I've ever hosted! :-) We had Mongolia, Korea, Spain, Russia, and the U.S.A. represented!

It was also really life-giving for me, since at my university back home one of my favorite things that I did during college was hosting international students. This time I am an international student myself, but hospitality is something I really enjoy!

As a universal language, music is of course so important. We had singing, dancing, and a great time of bonding!

The Chinese Massage

One of the nice things about living in China is that, to counteract all the bicycle riding, freezing temperatures, carrying groceries home, etc....there is the Chinese massage. Cheap (68 yuan is the deal we go for...that's $10 USD), and amazing. I try to go every month and get the 1 1/2 hour treatment which includes legs, feet, back, neck, and butt (not for those who are easily made to feel awkward).

When they do your feet, they normally can tell you certain things about your health. I've had it explained to me and don't fully understand, but it's always accurate. They can always tell I have digestive problems by massaging my feet.

The process is a bit painful at parts...the main point of it is for health, not relaxation (unless you are specifically getting an aromatherapy massage), but it ends up being relaxing anyway. For a foreigner it's not quite the peaceful experience one might expect because my masseusse is usually curious about me and wants to talk...which is good. A good way to learn more health/body vocabulary in Chinese.

During my most recent visit, it was a little awkward since they started by telling my roommate and I that we were very pretty (not really something I want to hear while being rubbed by a stranger), but they were friendly. My guy gave me some tips on improving my health (such as putting my feet in hot water more often to get rid of toxins).

At the end of the massage things were made a bit more awkward when he commented that I had a good figure but was thin. Thank you Mr. Chinese Guy who has his hands on my butt. I was also informed that I have a bad shoulder and that I need to lift weights (it's true, I have no shoulder muscles).

Also included in the experience: these awesome pajamas. This time mine were about, oh, 20 sizes too big (which I don't really understand since the average Chinese person is pretty small).

But for real, in the dead of winter when I spend my time with muscles clenched and freezing a lot...curling up in huge pajamas while you are served complimentary all-you-can-drink coffee and get massaged....it's a pretty sweet deal!

"Ocean Heaven"

"Ocean Heaven" is a recent film starring action film actor Jet Li...it is a markedly different role for him as the terminally ill father of an autistic young man.



In typically Chinese style, it is a fairly sad movie, but with a pretty good sense of closure (Asian films frequently do not provide the audience with such). Jet Li is excellent, and captures the role very well. Families who have been touched by autism will relate well to the desperation of a parent seeking to provide for a special needs child after his own death. With that, the film also presents a realistic portrayal of the honest struggles, but also joys, of the life of Dafu (the autistic son). Presenting a portrait of anyone diagnosed with autism can be a tricky issue, since an individual with that diagnosis will not fit into a box every time of what a person with special needs will look like, but the film did an excellent job and didn't turn Dafu into a caricatured individual.

If you get a chance, see it!

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.

山楂樹之戀 Movie Review

"Under the Hawthorn Tree" is the latest film from famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou. This tells the story of a young girl dealing with the pressures of having capitalist parents during the Cultural Revolution in China, and the boy that falls in love with her.

The film is unabashedly innocent in tone, drawing us back to a different time in China. Like any good Chinese film, and most of Zhang Yimou's work, it ends in a decidely awful, tragic way...but rather than being akin to something like "A Walk to Remember", a film which allowed us to weep with the satisfaction that characters had some sort of closure, the tragic ending of this film leaves us stinging with the regret that the main characters must feel. This is part of the mark of a good Chinese film, so fans of lighter fare take heed before venturing into the realm of Chinese cinema.

Things I Like Thursday

Winter Essentials:

This face mask. I swore I would never wear face masks, but they really do keep your face warm, and this one is breathable so I don't suffocate. Plus, come on, how awesome do I look?-please ignore the fact that I actually look totally worn out. Also, shout out to Erin C....I really love the scarf!!!)

Malatang. It's basically soup where you choose your ingredients...mine are potato balls, tofu noodles, tofu funnels, quail eggs, cabbage, and mushroom.

Winter is not my favorite time of year....but there are definitely things that make it bearable! :-)