For Photo Albums from China -Last updated 8/21/2005

These are entries from August thru October 2005

October 25, 2005 11:55 AM
My classmates and I went to Beihai and Jingshan Park last Friday. These parks are directly behind the Forbidden City and were where the Emperor could hang out and do some boating and walking around. By the way, the Forbidden City was the residence of the emperors during the last two dynasties, the Ming and Qing Periods. The Forbidden City housed the Emperor, 3000 of his wives or concubines and eunuchs. Supposedly several of these women never actually met the emperor and died virgins. The last emperor of the Ming period hung himself in Jingshan Park before another army broke into the city, establishing the Qing Dynasty and a new line of emperors. There is a stone in the park marking the spot. There is a large hill in Jingshan Park. There are differing stories on how that hill was created. One story goes that it was created from all the trash coming out of the Forbidden City.

Internet access in our building has been out of service for about 5 days. It is a reminder of how the Internet has become a part of my life. Not being able to get or send e-mail, not to mention read the news about what's happening in the world can start to become uncomfortable. I can find an Internet Café if this state of affairs continues.

The weather has become colder and colder. Especially in the morning, then it warms up by the mid-afternoon. This is typical of continental weather that I learned about last year in my Physical Geography class. The ground absorbs and releases heat faster than water. So, Beijing, which is further inland, absorbs heat quickly during the day and warms up, but at night easily gives up its warmth and cools down quickly, much like Phoenix. Thus, the day and night temperature difference is wider than places that are surrounded by water, such as Hawaii.

I have a water bottle. There is a hot water machine on every floor of the dorm. The water that comes out is always boiling hot. You have to let it cool down before you can drink it. I put some dried tea leaves in the bottle and pour in the hot water to make tea. Besides wearing lots of clothes and keeping warm, green tea seems to be good for my throat and help fend off getting a cold. I hear a lot of students coughing and I want to avoid getting a cold as much as possible. I also try to have a bowl of noodles regularly. I think a hot bowl of noodles is like chicken soup, it warms up your body and is easy on the digestion. Another means of trying to stay healthy.

I did see a sight that creeped me out yesterday. A giant rack of meat hanging from the inside of a small van. The van was outside of a cafeteria I eat at occasionally. The meat was exposed to the sun, uncovered. The van was not any kind of ice-truck designed for the transportation of meat or any other frozen goods, but rather had carpeting on the floor and looked like any regular van, with a spare tire and other tools thrown in the back. But there it was, a giant rack of meat, like what you might see at meat packing factory, all red and white. The van's back door was open and it was just exposed to the elements. And I had just walked out of that cafeteria with three "Roubao", or steamed meat muffins. However, as you can imagine, those meat muffins didn't go down as tastefully as they had in the past.

I am listening to the Chinese pop music station right now. In the last song, the singer kept saying something about Tic Tac Toe. Chinese pop sounds just like American pop music except the lyrics are in Chinese with occasional foreign words thrown in. Some sound like rip-offs of American songs, but I am not a music industry expert like my uncle James!

Did I mention before that I spent some hours at the foreign language bookstore over the last vacation? I couldn't afford to buy some of the books I wanted, so I just sat in the store and read a few. One book I really liked was called Thinking Strategically. I learned the first rule of strategic thinking, when the moves of the players are sequential, is to 1)Look Ahead and 2)Reason Back. That may seem difficult, but its just like the game of Chess or Checkers. You first think about your next move, how the opponent might respond, and then your next move, their response, your next move and so on. That sounds simple enough. However, sometimes a game such as Chess can have many potential moves. With so many potential moves available it's difficult for your mind to calculate all of them far ahead. So you next use your experience and judgments about what will be in your favor, what position will be potentially most advantageous to you in the future of the game, and finally make your moves now accordingly.

Now I can try to apply that idea to my life. Map out the potential moves I can make in the future. I can't map out all of them to infinity, but go out as far as I can. Then look at which ones look the most advantageous and favorable based on my experience and judgment. Finally make a decision about what to do for the future.

Oct 20, 2005 12:58 PM
Physical deformities. I remember seeing people with physical deformities in America, but maybe because of advanced health care, caring people who will pay the money for surgeries, and maybe the help of the government, I don't remember seeing those people too often. It makes you feel like it is kind of rare. But in China, it seems I come across people more often with deformities I could not imagine living with in the States. I've seen deformities that were quite scary. However, I felt that those people, if they were in America could get surgery to help them. That is, if they wanted help. Sometimes I think Chinese take pride in whatever they were born with. It goes back to Chinese traditional thinking that out of respect for your parents you covet your body. People would not cut their nails and let their hair grow very long. Even today I see some men who have moles with long, long hairs growing out of them. I feel like screaming "Cut that thing!", but that would not be civil.

But besides culture, it makes sense that people live with deformities because health care quality and money is much harder to come by in China. So people who might otherwise get surgery or treatment in the states are left untreated in China. On the streets of Beijing you come across beggers. I have seen more than a few that have severe deformities such as people with terrible burns, leg and arm irregularities, etc. I gave a little money to some of them at first, but later heard that many are part of begging groups, like underground companies, that use their deformities to make money. Additionally I would see one begger in one place on one day, then the same guy in another place the next. I am not sure what to think of it, but I stopped giving away any money.

Finally, some real depressing news. After class, I saw a large crowd of people by a nearby building. I looked up and saw a girl, a student, standing on the ledge of the 3rd story of the building. Below her were some security men waving their hands at her not to jump and parked bicycles. The crowd showed typical emotions, concern, sarcasm, laughter, distress. I saw a girl run up holding her camera. I thought the girl on the ledge would finally show some sense and go back inside. Someone would convince her that whatever problem that may have happened, a boy, school, family, friends, whatever, that it was not something worth jumping off a building over. At first she seemed agitated because of the people behind her and the crowd, then she started looking down intently. A few moments later she heaved forward and jumped. The crowd gasped. I could not believe my own eyes. I turned away not wanting to see the aftermath. I started saying "No, no, no, no..". I just left for my next class, but I was rattled for a good hour. It was the topic of conversation among my classmates for while. In my own mind, I feel over my life I have had times when things were bad, but fortunately never to the point of throwing it all away.

Oct 13, 2005 9:10 PM
I had a pleasant experience this evening. I was walking home from teaching English and was passing some glass displays with student artwork inside. I saw an older man standing in front of one and looking sternly at some of the work. A friend recently told me if I want to practice listening to Chinese more, I should talk with older people. Because they have no need to practice their English, they will speak to me in Chinese and may enjoy chatting with a foreigner. I decided to take a chance. The gentleman was looking at some calligraphy. Using Chinese, I asked the gentleman what he thought of the works. He pointed to one work and said it was bad, the characters were written too fast and sloppy. To me the works looked great, much better than I could ever do. He pointed to another and said it was written very well. It did look nice to me, but they all did. He pointed to another and said it was really sloppy. It did look a little sloppy now that he mentioned it, but I never would have noticed on my own. Then we started to walk along the road through the campus. He lived in the area and was passing through. I was surprised I could understand what he said pretty clearly. For some reason I had the unfounded impression that it would be harder to understand older people than the students. But even he suggested that because he spoke a little slowly that he might be more understandable for me. He asked me some questions about the foreign students on the campus. He told me he is from northeast China (formerly called Manchuria), but has lived in Beijing for over 50 years. He is 81 years old. I said he is about the same age as my grandfather. He said he was an engineer and built residential buildings like some of the ones we passed. He walked with a cane and moved slowly, but his mind seemed sharp and as well as speaking clearly and kindly. He asked me how long I had studied Chinese and praised my ability. He talked about the Chinese students on campus and how difficult it is for them to be accepted into this school. He also said I should talk with them as much as I could. Finally after about 20 minutes we parted ways, but I was so happy to chat with him.

Oct 9, 2005 1:05 Pm
I went to English corner the other night. English corner is where students of English gather to practice with each other and any "waiguoren" foreigners who happen to take the plunge and join the conversations. I say take the plunge because once you go there you will be immediately mobbed by as many as 10 to 30 people. Some have never spoke with a foreigner before. I think it is pretty interesting that many of these people study English so diligently and seriously. English is required for all Chinese from middle school. Sadly, many will never go overseas to use it. There are only a few countries Chinese can easily visit as tourists, such as Thailand. However, its really amazing to me how well some Chinese can speak English without ever having left Beijing let alone China.

Many have excellent pronunciation and a broad vocabulary. Its funny though, that no matter how well a Chinese speaks English, they frequently get "he" and "she" mixed up. You may think this is hard to believe, but its true. They will say she when they mean he and vice versa all the time! You may think how can this be? It stems from the fact that the Chinese use the same Chinese word "ta", for he and she. Its not that they don't know there is a gender difference, its just that they don't recognize it while speaking. So no matter how well some Chinese speak, they will still call a she a he and vice-versa.

Anyway, I walked over to English corner and stood there for about 20 seconds before I was surrounded on all sides. People typically first ask me where I am from and what am I doing in China. One question I remember being asked was what do I think the biggest difference is between Americans and Chinese. I answered, its plausible that anyone can become an American like me, but I can never become Chinese. What I meant was that even if I gave up my American citizenship and got Chinese citizenship, no one would acknowledge me to be Chinese. However, any Chinese could potentially be an American after immigration and no one would think it strange at all. So being American is a badge of citizenship, but it doesn't carry the weight of heritage that being Chinese does. You can't escape being Chinese once you are. I have some general idea of where my ancestors are from, but I don't know how much that has affected who I am besides my looks. Chinese seem to carry some heavy cultural baggage as well as share many physical traits. I am told there are a little over 50 ethnicities in China, however the population is 95% "Han" Chinese. But I am not clear what it means to be a "Han" Chinese yet.

Haha, but don't worry though, I'm not going change my citizenship and become Chinese because I like China.

Oct 3, 2005 11:25 Pm
China is having some kind of national celebration, but I'm unclear what it is. I have not taken the time to ask anyone what the celebration is about, but I did get a week long vacation. However, it is Chinese practice because the vacation is for only five days, classes will start up this weekend. I will have Thursday's lesson on Saturday and Friday's lesson on Sunday. Then I have my regular classes again from Monday. So I end up going to school for 7 straight days after 7 days off. Oh well, another reminder I am not in the US.

Yesterday I went to Ditan Park. Ditan, the Temple of the Earth, is on the north side of Beijing, while Tiantan, the Temple of Heaven is on the south side. The Ditan grounds are now a nice spacious park. There was a special book market held in the park, with numerous vendors. I was looking for some interesting Chinese books to buy, but ended up getting The Prince:Niccolo Machiavelli, Working with Emotional Intelligence:Daniel Goldman, and a Map of the World in Chinese and English. I have wanted to read The Prince because I have seen it referenced so often. I also thought a key weakness of mine in my past work experience has been letting office politics and other emotions get the best of me in my work. So maybe this Daniel Goldman book will help. I can read these books in my spare time.

I really needed this week off anyway. I think working and going to school is draining. I am thinking seriously about going to Renmin in the spring semester as well, which would make it a full year of language study here. I am very happy with teachers, materials, and pace of the Chinese classes. I feel my Chinese is making noticeable improvements and I am excited to think how fluent I will be at the end of next year.

I have been eating more at local restaurants lately. Yesterday I ate at two places I would not have ventured into when I first arrived. Unfortunately, I can only say the food was alright. I went to use the bathroom in one of the restaurants and the smell and fumes (not completely unpleasant ) coming from the kitchen were so strong and overpowering, I could hardly breath and nearly knocked me out. I don't know how anyone could work back there.

I love the word for "business" in Chinese. Chinese people say "Sheng-yi" which means "produce meaning" or to do something meaningful. That's the definition of business that I always wanted to hear. I have always been interested in doing business, but I like the feeling of the word in the Chinese language, to do something meaningful.

Sept 26, 2005, 1:03 PM
Last Sunday was the Mid-Autumn Festival in China. Seemingly for most Chinese it is an important holiday for connecting with your family and friends. They have little parties and eat little round Moon Cakes. They have different fillings within a crusty dough. To me, most Moon cakes taste like crap. They are too sweet and give me a headache. I spent most of that day working in the morning and studying afterward.

Everyday I get out of class around 11:30 AM. Sometimes I have another class start at 2 PM, but not today, so I am free to study, eat, sleep, or do other errands. I sometimes browse the news on the Internet. The recent hurricanes in the states have been big news to me. However, I have very rarely been asked about it, like "how's your family?", "did you know anyone who was effected?", or "how do you feel about it?" If I didn't have the Internet, I would not have known anything about it. It may have made the front page news (but I don't read Chinese newspapers much), nor have I heard anything (let alone understand much of anything anyway) on the radio, or have seen TV reports (being that I don't have a TV).

So the Internet keeps me in touch. It is my opinion that Americans are more informed than the general population in China. I have no evidence to support this, but I think most Americans have TVs (sometimes one in each room), radios, the Internet, plenty of news services etc. to get a wide variety of news and information.

There is only one place on this campus that I know of where people can publicly access the Internet. Though several Chinese I know have computers in their rooms, many people have to go to "Wang Ba-s" which means "Net Bar" or Internet Café. They are crowded, dry and smoky places I prefer not going to. And in the countryside, where in some places people still have to drink water from polluted wells, I doubt people can access the Internet much.

Sept 19 2005, 9:40 PM
Sometimes I forget where I am, really! I will forget I'm in China. The fact that I am in China is not always on the forefront of my mind. Maybe I will be thinking of my job, my studies, or my finances or whatever…then suddenly I see or hear something that shakes me out of my state and demands my attention. Its a realization that I can't use English freely and can't take my surroundings for granted.

For example, I am in my comfort zone, happily thinking of various things as I'm in the subway train. Suddenly a small blind boy turns on a microphone and starts singing. Being led by his mother he makes his way through the train hoping to get handouts. I get the feeling they move a little slower as they go past me, hoping the foreigner might be a little more generous.

After I exit the train I make my way above ground. The beautiful sound of a Chinese flute makes its way through the tunnel. I finally see the man playing near the gate, sitting on the steps with a donation box in front of him. His playing is really good and I consider putting a few jiao (a tenth of a yuan, or around a few pennies) in his box, but the heavy people traffic makes it too inconvenient to stop moving and get my wallet. Finally out of the gate, I see the various transportation options available. There are taxis and buses, but there are also bicycle-powered and motorized carriages. Its like I'm walking onto an old movie set. The carriages are so small and cute, but old and rickety. I don't dare to take one, but others do. I choose the bus.

Again, on the bus, I have to get back into Chinese mode, so I can tell the ticket agent where I want to go and pay the correct amount. I bought a portable radio recently for 54 Yuan, or 7 dollars. I can use my head phones and listen to Chinese music and news. This keeps me listening and thinking about Chinese even when I am not in class and walking around. So far, I'm happy with the results, I feel like I am getting used to hearing and understanding more at a faster pace. That does not mean I am comprehending much, but it does mean I am becoming able to catch some words that are being spoken and getting used to the tones and rhythm.

I am also surprised that I also like the music that I hear in Chinese, some of it is pretty good.

Sept 15 2005 10:23 PM
Mark, teaching the gospel of capitalism to the heathen Chinese. Its funny to me when I talk to Chinese people about the US and capitalistic concepts. For example in my English class we discussed the well known Chinese basketball player who plays in the NBA, Yao Ming. Yao recently signed a 75 million dollar contract for the Houston Rockets. As I understand it, Yao decided for some reason not to return to China this summer and play with the national team or former local team despite wishes of the government. Some people in my class felt Yao should come back to China and help improve local talent and contribute more to China, since he is Chinese. Some said that Chinese citizenship comes before all else. If the government tells him he should come back, than he should come back. I suggested he was being paid a lot of money by the Houston Rockets Franchise and they probably don't want him to get injured playing in China.

Other topics we have discussed in class is buying a car, online commerce, and taxes. They were very surprised when I told them that Americans have to pay taxes (after a foreign income exception) on all income earned outside the US. They thought it was interesting that wherever Americans go, the IRS follows.

Chinese really believe that the US is much more developed than China. I would have to agree. For example, you have to buy tickets from a counter and give your ticket to the ticket agent to get on the subway. There are no ticket machines anywhere in Beijing. On the other hand, I get the feeling Chinese think of the US like it is Buck Rogers and the 21st Century. We are all rich and driving around in hover-mobiles. Its not that they can't believe there are homeless and poor in America, but they have an idealist view of the US and can't seem to imagine it.

Beijing is more developed than other parts of China. Some of the other parts of China I have seen certainly seemed impoverished. For example, I know for a fact that even in Beijing most of the security guards who work at hotels, parking lots, and such…who work 12 hour shifts, some without days off make only about 800 Yuan a month. 800 Yuan a month divided by 30 is about 30 days is 26 Yuan, or about $3.28 USD!!! My god, living on 3+ dollars a day. But then I hear that people leave their villages for these jobs because they consider it good pay!!! So I can understand when some Chinese people say they think America is rich. At first I found it kind of offensive and shallow, possibly because I certainly have never felt rich. But from their perspective, I might seem much better off. I can make more money teaching English teaching for 10 hours than they can as a security officer working full time a whole month.

Sept 10 2005 1:58 PM
My first day of classes yesterday were very nice. In my first class we first did some introductions. There were only about 12 students but the nations represented included Norway, Spain, Italy, Check Republic, Korea, Japan, Belgium, some others, and finally yours truly representing the USA. The teacher only used Chinese and told us what was expected of us, including preparation and review. In the second class, which is a speaking class, we were told to know vocabulary and be prepared to speak a lot. The important thing to me was that the classes were appropriate to my level. I felt that I fit in among the other students in reading, listening and speaking. The material we covered was new and challenging, but not over my head. Thus, I think I will not try to change to another class.

After classes we had to do more paperwork and standing in lines for our Visas. This was very tiresome.

In the evening, I went to a organized Japanese-Chinese student get together. The Chinese students mainly consisted of Chinese who study Japanese at Remin. I hear the there are about 80 such students. I met one of the teachers of Japanese at Renmin, a Japanese man, and he offered me some opportunities to do some translation work.

Sept 8 2005 9:37 PM
Today I attended the welcoming ceremony for foreign students. There was approximately 200 - 300 people. The speaker mentioned that most of the students were from Korea, then Japan, making up nearly 80-90% of all foreign students. The rest were made up people from all over the world. There are about three Americans including myself.

The Japanese students here have helped me quite a bit, getting through the application and visa process, selecting classes, finding the book store, inviting me to eat out with them and their events. I think they see me as some kind of unique Japanese person than an American. Once they get used to me speaking Japanese, they forget my native language is English. For me, there is no better kind of flattery of my Japanese ability than for Japanese to forget that I am not a native speaker and American.

I start classes tomorrow morning at 8 am. We have two 90 minute mandatory class periods every weekday with a 30 minute break. So from 11:30 to 2:00 I am free for lunch or whatever. From 2:00 to 4:10 we have elective classes. I have 5 thick textbooks for just my mandatory classes. The mandatory classes include, speaking class, reading class, listening class, and some cultural classes all in Chinese. I figure after a semester like this of intensive study, I should certainly be better at Chinese. I also found a Business Chinese course I can take as an elective course. That would be perfect for learning words necessary to do business in China in the future.

Sept 5 2005 10:30 AM
The weather has cooled down alot in the past week, and its really pleasant outside. Jingzhen, my new roommate and I have been getting along fine. Its funny because we have to speak to each other in Chinese to communicate. We went out for a walk around campus last night to get some air and had breakfast together this morning. Its cool, he told me that while he is in China he wants to be like a Chinese person, eating just Chinese food and speaking in Chinese as much as possible, becoming culturally adjusted. I like his attitude because that will better insure his success in Chinese as well as mine. Today we take a diagnostic test to determine where we start in our Chinese classes this semester, so I better get back to studying.

Sept 3 2005 12:55 AM
The cafeteria in the nearby “Modern Plaza” is pretty good. It has a nice, clean environment with nice tables and pictures. It's a bit of a walk for me to get there, so I eat there occasionally. There are a few dishes I really like in there such as a cashew chicken dish, so I invariably order those instead of trying a great variety. They typically cost about 12 RMB or 1.50 USD.

Some stores have wax productions of their foods on display. Some of them look so real they are mouth-watering. You tell the clerk what you would like and they give you a ticket to take to the cashier. Once you pay and get a receipt, you give it to the clerk at the restaurant and wait for your food to be served. It's a bit longer of a process than in the states, where you line up, order and pay, and I have no clue why they use that system. I suspect its to keep cash away from the clerks and reduce theft, or some kind of presumed efficiency.

Its always interesting to see the looks on peoples faces as you carry your tray looking for a place to sit and eat. They seem to be wondering what a foreigner is doing here, where I am from, and what I'm about. I've only had one conversation in there with someone out of the blue. An older man sitting near me kept looking at me and seemed so anxious to talk, despite that I was eating, I said "Ni hao", or hello, and we started to talk.

Well, I finally think I did something smart. I hired a tutor. One of the my Japanese friends, whose Chinese seems to have become pretty good in a short time, works with this tutor. I talked with the tutor directly and got a good impression. The tutor's strong point is catching mistakes and immediately correcting them, so we learn to speak correctly and don't get into bad habits.

In the past, Dad and I have discussed investing in yourself. The tutor is a little expensive at 35 RMB, or about 4 USD an hour, but teaches well, so I think its worth it. Especially since I have a job that pays about 100 RMB an hour, I think its alright. I can work about an hour an a half at my job for around 5 hours of tutoring in Chinese. That's a good deal. One of my goals is to make the most of my time at Renmin University, even if I have a pay a little extra. I feel like by really cramming Chinese into my head now, I have a better chance to work using Chinese later. Sometimes I have to remember I can speak Japanese fluently too.

However, next semester I probably won't be able to afford to go to Renmin another semester and will enroll at a smaller private school. The private schools focus more on the HSK test preparation. They will also give you the documents needed to renew your Visa. They can be as cheap as ¼ of the price of the bigger schools like Renmin. But I will have to find my own apartment.

Sept 2, 2005 11:00 am
Yesterday my new roommate moved in. He is a gentle, friendly fellow from Korea. We have been speaking to each other in Chinese since his arrival. We are at about the same level of proficiency. Because I'm a couple years older than him, he calls me big brother. I have tried to show him around the area, the stores, buses, cafeterias and such. He has in turn been very nice. He seems like a good student and very trustworthy. He told me he plans to live in China for several years. He is aiming for a PH.D in Labor law. I think we'll get along just fine. It was funny, one of the first things he asked me was how I am. I understand that Korea is a very Confucian society, even more so than China today. So it might have been natural to establish age right away.

Aug 31, 2005 8:36 pm
Today I was asked to check the English ability of a 15 year old girl who is interested in the English school I teach at. She seemed like a very nice, well groomed girl. For a person who has never been overseas, her English was excellent. She said she often practiced by watching US movies. I asked her why she wants to learn English and she said she wanted to go to America. So I thought, that's cool, I'm from there, so I inquired why would she like to go to America. She answered “Because I think Americans are rich, and I want to be rich, so I want to go to America.”

To me, that sounded very shallow. I asked my adult class about this later in evening. It seems many Chinese perceive Americans to be rich and for America to be a rich country. They believe that they can have a better life there, live out the American dream. I tried to burst their bubble and explain that not all Americans are rich, some are poor. But I think they have some picture in their mind conjured up from watching Friends or Beverly Hills 90210, etc.

Well, tomorrow I pay my tuition and possibly get a roommate. I think there will be some diagnostic tests and then start classes soon. I have been watching the news about the Hurricane disaster in and around New Orleans. It seems absolutely terrible.

Aug 29, 2005 12:35 AM
With these interviews, assignments, and errands that have to be done, I have become much adepter at using public transportation. I have learned how to use the bus and subway system. Before my return to Beijing, I typically used a cab. Taxis are much cheaper than in the US, but no country I've ever visited can beat the price of a Chinese bus. At 1 yuan (12 cents) to anywhere in the city, it's a screaming deal. However, because things are “different” here, you can't have the same expectations that you may in the US.

First, there are no coin machines in the bus. You have to find the fee collector in the bus or they will find you. Buses are noisy and the brakes are noisier! Don't expect anyone to tell you when to get off. However, the fee collectors have been pretty decent in giving me a little special attention and helping me to know when to get out at my stop. People don't line up for buses, they collect at the bus doors and rush in. Or sometimes when a bus nears a stop, the collectors start yelling at people waiting outside to get people on board. Not all buses are public, some are private. I guess the private ones are the ones which have the barkers. People don't seem to want to budge at all if there is an open seat next to them, and you have to get around them to sit down. For example, there is an open window seat, but someone is in the aisle seat. You have to get around the person in the aisle seat to sit down, people NEVER scoot over. I think that is a little ridiculous. Maybe it's the same in the US, but I can't remember well.

But, this is a different culture, and I have to remember, that what I described above is normal here. I'm on the outside looking in, not the other way around.

Aug 27, 2005 8:37 PM
I was feeling a little down, being in China apart from friends and family heading into my 33rd birthday, but then all the messages of love and encouragement came in and I felt much better. I couldn't ask for better birthday presents. Some used words like "brave" and "exotic" to describe my current experience. In some ways I have to agree, so I was also uplifted.

That showed me how important it is to have loved ones who never forget about you wherever you are. I've never been particularly good at writing the people I care about on their special days, but that has to change. It can't be one sided, I need to be proactive and send out messages too. I have a computer now, I can make a calendar to remind me when to send out a message.

This computer and the Internet has been a life-line to stay connected. I can read news from back in the states, get e-mail from friends and family, do job searches, etc etc. And the website serves as a means to share my experiences. I feel very fortunate to have taken an Internet course this past spring and learned more about using HTML and making websites. I actually took that class simply to fulfill a requirement to graduate, but itturned out to be very useful and interesting!

I decided my goal for study this next six months will be to pass the Basic Chinese Proficiency Test called the HSK Basic. (Related HSK Info) This test will give future potential employers an idea of my Chinese skills.

Otherwise, the future is cloudy. I have some irons in the fire, but none are too hot.

Aug 25, 2005 11:43 AM
Well, you may have noticed the familiar music doesn't start when you loaded this website. That is because I had to delete it due to bandwidth issues. I received an e-mail from Geocities saying that this site could not be loaded 16 times this month because I had exceeded my allowed bandwidth. Since the opening music uses a lot of Bandwidth, I was forced to delete it. Hopefully, everyone who wants to access this site won't have any problem doing so in the future.

The Good News is that I got a job! My interview was successful. It lasted all of about 3 minutes. It seems that all the school had to do was confirm that I was a native speaker of English and had a pulse. So I started working that night!

Even better, the class was their highest level class, where the students prefer to have open conversation. That means I don't have to prepare, I can just show up and have a conversation. The pay is a straight 100 Yuan per hour. I will work about 5.5 hours this week and from next week 7 hours. The school is about 10 minutes walking distance.

I'm thrilled that I have an income stream now. I would prefer to have about double the hours per week, but I'll take this to start.

On my way back from work I saw an interesting artist on the street. He was writing in Chinese characters, but making pictures from the characters. Its like he was taking the standardized Chinese characters back to their pictograph roots. It would be interesting if this caught on.

Aug 22, 2005 11:30 AM
Many women of East Asian countries, China, Korea, and Japan, prefer to have white skin. It is considered more beautiful to have white (almost pale) skin than darker, brownish yellow skin. Many Asian women go out of their way to avoid contact with the sun and tan their skin. Often you will see these women carry umbrellas in the middle of the day. It reminds me of parasols in Victorian Europe. I have seen many commercials for lotions and masks that will make skin whiter. I may be confused because when I was in the university recently, it seemed women couldn't get enough sun. They would plant themselves in lawnchairs and wear bikinis around the pools and patios hoping to be extra radiated before classes start. There are even tanning lotions that will help your skin turn a brownish color, or another shade of orange.

So why is it that some women with white skin prefer darker skin, and darker skinned women prefer whiter?

Anyway, I was contacted by the modeling agency today. Unfortunately, due to some computer trouble, they lost all the pictures they took of me recently. They are visiting my campus tomorrow and will take some more. In a positive sense, at least they wanted my pictures again.

I am very pleased with the work I've done recently to the website. I've made most the links (look left) more interesting by added pictures. I created an online form to send me feedback (see Feedback Form), and started my online retail store. Though, I don't have any products to sell just yet, I am excited that I have a platform and payment system figured out to do so.

Aug 20, 2005 3:00 AM
Did you notice the time I am writing this? I am building my first online business. It is so exciting to think I can sell something over the Internet. I have an online storefront and a credit card processor, so now I just need to choose what to sell. I put up some examples of what I could do. Please see Mark's business website to see what it looks like!

I have not been able to look at my website online for some time. I counted that I wrote the word “T-*-i-w-*-n” in this journal at least 20 times previously. I know there are computer word screening and filtering systems that affect being able to view websites outside of "certain countries", so I'm going to change all of those to "TWN"s, and see if I can view my website again. Who knows, its worth a shot.

I went to a modeling agency today. I was asked by some agents to visit their office to have some pictures taken. The agency will in turn show those photos to prospective companies looking for new faces for advertisements. I took two buses and for the first time, the subway. My photo session lasted all of about 15 minutes. They kept telling me to do action poses. I did as many as I could before I ran out of ideas. They said they will send me copies.

I have an interview at a local English school on Monday. Though I am not completely thrilled with the idea of teaching English again, it does produce income and allow me to stay here. It will only be part-time at most.

Aug 18, 2005 12:20 PM
Aug 18th 11:45 AM With clear skies and cooler temperatures, the weather since yesterday has been fantastic. I have not experienced such nice weather in Beijing before. I decided to walk around the area, further out than I have before. I found a fantastic store. The Chinese call it a chao-shi which literally means super market. I am not sure if it was private or publicly owned, but the products available and prices were good, reminded me of what was available in a Wal-mart. Not only did they have food, but clothes, a book section, home appliances. I did notice a lack of choice available in the anti-stink department. Chinese people must not have problems with BO, because I saw only one kind of deodorant available called FA, in English. I wonder why deodorant would be called FA. The character fa in Chinese, depending on the tone used, can mean to send out (first tone), to punish (second or rising tone), to lack (also second), the law (third tone), or hair (forth tone). That will remind you that tones matter in Chinese communication! So just seeing FA written in English with no tone markings, I really have no clue if the name means anything. Having said this, there maybe some US product names that fall into this category. Nonetheless, having nearly used up the two sticks of speed stick I brought in May, I am currently in the market for more. I fortunately bought some more deodorant on my recent vacation.

I can't think of many better feelings for me right now than being productive and having some small wins. The university requires students to open a bank account with one large Chinese bank for tuition payment. The biggest challenge for me in getting that accomplished was filling out the forms properly. For the bank, it was getting my whole name into their computer which typically uses Chinese names, which the majority of have three characters. I suppose they could have used my initials or my Chinese name, but they follow what's written on the passport.

Your passport is the single most important document you have in traveling. When traveling, protect it and don't lose it. At every hotel, bank, travel agency, airport, not to mention government agency, you will need it.

Aug 16, 2005 10:06 PM
Back in Beijing – despite several awkward sleeping positions I did manage to get 7 hours of shut inside Hong Kong Intl' Airport. Then when I went to the counter to pick up my ticket, the agent said I had to pay some kind of airport fee because I landed and stayed a day. I explained the Visa issue and how I was in the airport all night. I even talked with the manager to no avail and got hit with a 120 Hong Kong Dollar fee…about US $16. Boy, the cost of travel can really add up. BUT, I did avoid paying any overweight charges. I think a combination of getting my big bag down to 25 Kg and putting up a fight over the airport fee. I tried not to show that my carry-on bag (a back pack) felt like it weighed a ton after putting everything from the big bag in it.

Anyway, after a delay of an hour sitting in the plane on the tarmac we took off. I arrived in Beijing in overcast rainy weather just before dusk. I remember I think I got overcharged that last time I took a taxi from the airport, so immediately after passing through customs I asked the Information Desk about how much to expect for a taxi ride into town. They said 90 kuai, which seemed reasonable to me too.

In Beijing airport, upon entering the arrival hall after customs, any foreigner who looks a little lost is immediately barked at by several taxi sales people. One guy smelled like alcohol so bad I told him to "shoo". Another guy approached me and quoted me 200 kuai to the university. I told him 90 and we haggled a bit. I have discovered if you stick to your guns at your price your will get it. And he finally settled at 90 up to the dorm building. I specified said I wanted upto the dorm, not the east gate.

But I should have known, these guys are smart. They took on another couple of passengers who were going in my direction and after some further debate, we all boarded the taxi and took off. I was the last one delivered, but I found out how much the other people paid and figured I came out alright.

But my next and potentially biggest concern remained. Once I got to the university, would there be a room for me. Fortunately, though they were a little surprised, after a talk with the school's Chinese classes director, I got my room. Finally, my own room. At least until classes start, then I have to take on a roommate.

No TV, no bathroom, but a bed, an A/C, desk and Internet access. The bathrooms are public and down the hall. I'll take it!!!

Aug 15, 2005 10:50 AM
I am sitting at a "The Mix" Juice drink stop inside Hong Kong International airport. Let me explain how the China/TWN political tension has affected me personally. I could not find a way to apply for an entry Visa into China while staying in TWN. So I had to buy a ticket to Hong Kong for today and for another flight to Beijing tomorrow. During the 24 hours in the airport I apply for a Visa at the China Travel Service agency counter. As of this moment I have already applied for a Visa and should get it by 6:30. But I could not arrange my flight to Beijing for any eariler than 11:30 tomorrow. I didn't think there was any way to be sure when I could get my Visa until I got to Hong Kong and applied. So I bought a ticket for the next day. With some better planning and more inspiration I might have avoided all this trouble. Ideas include:

1. Contacting the China Ministry of Foriegn Affairs in Hong Kong or China Travel Service earlier
2. Applying for a Visa on my arrival last time I was in Hong Kong
3. Getting a Multiple-Entry Visa when I was in Beijing
4. Contacting the China Foriegn Ministry in the US by e-mail or phone to ask what to do when in TWN

On top of this, I heard that going to the China Foriegn Ministry on Hong Kong Island directly and getting a single entry Visa would cost 1/4 as much. I had to spend about $134 US dollars to get my Visa in the airport. But based on all the luggage I'm carrying, the idea of lugging it around Hong Kong in the middle of the day trying to find the China Passport Office on the hope it will get done today lost to the idea of having it done expediated here at the airport.
Adding further insult to my wallet, I had to pay an extra $30 dollars because my luggage in 10 Kg overweight. For all you travelers out there, check your tickets to find out how much weight you are allowed in take in your luggage. International flights to/from the US allow 32 Kg, but these Inter-asia flights only allow 20 Kg. So, I will be doing a massive reorganization of my luggage, throwing out papers and moving books etc into my carry-on etc to get my big bag down to 20 Kgs. I at least want to avoid paying any more money for overages on my flight to Beijing.

So to sum it up I will basically be living and sleeping in this airport over the next 24 hours. Pain in the ass...and i am spending money that I don't have, i.e. credit cards... Why u ask? To get back to Beijing. Once I get there I don't even know if I have a place to stay at the University, supposedly there will be a bed for me in the dormitory. Another thing I should have done was to get some staff members e-mail addresses at Renimin University before leaving.

There are things in my mind that give me hope and excitement to go through this trouble. I think I can reasonably quickly get some work when I get there teaching English or something. I will continue studying Chinese in China through January. Hopefully I will continue to improve. (Though hope is not enough, I've got study hard too!!!) I have started to build a website in which I can sell items purchased in China. I would like to earn a few dollars trying that and gain Internet businessn experience.

Finally, I am really on my own now, no Arizona State University staff or fellow students around me to talk with or look out for me.

Aug 10, 2005 2:10 AM
I bought my ticket back to Beijing. In some ways I feel sad because I was just starting to get used to TWN and like it more. The culture here is very special. I like all the scooters. They take up less room on the streets, they are more environmentally friendly, and in TWN they are given their own lanes so they seem safer to ride.

Tonight I went to a local night market. Night markets in TWN make me think of state fairs back in the US, except they are open almost every night and take place in several locations in almost every city and town throughout TWN. Everything is outdoors, lots of vendors selling an amazing array of foods and drinks. There are state-fair like games like throwing rings on bottles for prizes and auctions etc etc (minus the roller-coasters). Everyone of these night-markets I've been to has been very lively and exciting. The beverage vendors sell drinks are a little too sweet. What they call ice-cream is shaved ice. In my book shaved ice with syrup is not ice-cream, it is simply wrong. The food is pretty good, a variety of Chinese specialties and much better cooked than any state-fair dish. Some of ones I tried include… octopus and squid on a stick, breaded chicken, Chou “Stinky” Tofu, and several noodle and rice dishes that has stuff in it, but I have no clue what I'm eating. What relieves any anxiety over the “what am I eating” part is that other people are eating it and seem alright.

I went to another bookstore today. I found a book in English called The Present. It is written by Spencer Johnson who wrote Who Moved My Cheese. It took only about an hour and a half to read The Present, but it was a powerful and inspirational story for me. I don't want to give any of it away, because its better to learn as you read. I've read a lot of self improvement books, but this one is short and powerful. I recommend it for anyone who has lingering regrets or who worries about what to do, or simply needs a mental or life reboot. I wrote the key points on a piece of paper and put it front of my wallet. However, its message is so powerful, I think it will stay with me for a long long time. (I've added a link to purchase this book if you are interested)

Aug 7, 2005 11:15 PM
Kaoxiong, TWN –
I am writing from my room on the 7th floor of a 20 story apartment complex in suburban Kaoxiong TWN. I am staying in an apartment that Lily's uncle owns but is not rented out or currently used. Lily lives with her family. I can't stay overnight at her family's house because different culture and customs just don't really permit it. Kaoxiong proper has over a million people. Matter of fact, though one can travel across TWN, North to South, in about 7 hours by bus and less than an hour by plane (and even less East to West), TWN has a population of about 20 million. However, I don't feel the bit crowded here. On my journey around the Island over the last week I saw a great deal of open country, mountains, rice paddies, and beaches that were nice.

TWN was previously called Formosa when discovered by the Portugese. Formosa supposedly means beautiful island. With all the green mountains and long beaches I am somewhat reminded of Hawaii. However, that is just the visual part, the weather is a different story. The heat and humidity here has been uncomfortable. But most of southern and eastern China has felt the same way. Actually the heat is not bad, its the humidity that can be hard to tolerate. I can be sitting in front of the computer just typing, and without a fan or something to keep cool, I will start to sweat.

Two Typhoons have hit the island in the past month. I was in Taipei, the capital city when the last one hit. It was interesting to see rain come down almost horizontally rather than vertically. That's how strong the wind blew.

On the surface, TW has some similarities to mainland China, but upon digging deeper, I think there are some very profound and interesting differences. Superficially, compared to the wider use of bicycles in the mainland, a great deal of people in TW use motor-scooters, pronounced mo-to-che. I have seen many instances of what looks like entire families riding on one (a man, a woman, and two kids!). However, because many roads have designated lanes for scooters, I thought I might feel safer riding one here than in America. I would never ride one in the states because of all the accidents I have heard about involving motorcycles etc. No one in Lily's whole family owns a car, everyone uses scooters or public transportation to get around. I have been using a barrowed bicycle to get around when I'm in town.

I have rarely seen any other foreigners in Kaoxiong. So I feel like I stand-out wherever I go. Especially when small children see me, sometimes their jaws drop and go bug-eyed like they just saw a Martian with green skin and giant antenna. Or they start laughing uncontrollably. Such is the life of a guy with white skin in the Far East. There is much less of that in the bigger international cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai. There farther away you go from those places the more funny looks and such you get. Such as today, I was riding my bike to Lily's family's house this morning. Some guy coming the other direction on a bike notices me and practically yells at me "HEEEEELLOOOOO!" like he's been holding it in for years waiting for the one glorious moment he can speak English with a foreigner. Trying to maintain myself, I replied with a simple "Hi", like I was saying "Its alright buddy, no need to get so excited" and kept on my way. Too bad when I look in the mirror I don't get such a thrill. However, I do feel indebted to Hollywood and many other past and current Americans and its institutions for generating so much good will towards me. It surely wasn't something I did that made that guy get so excited to speak to me, rather was it not something I represented?

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