Beijing: Day 4, The End...

Wow sorry it has taken me sooo long to tell you all about my last day in Beijing! My Christmas and J-Term got really busy so here I am now, in February, finally finishing this blog! Hopefully I can remember it all...

My last day in Beijing I went with my sister to meet one of my friend's older brothers, Frasier, who lives there studying Chinese. His girlfriend, who was Chinese, was also there. We got to sit in on one of his classes where the professor spoke ONLY Chinese! It was a language school. I didn't understand most of it, but it is definitely a goal of mine to one day be able to attend a class like that. After that we went to lunch and then to the Olympic stadium and checked that out. It was pretty cool, but too expensive to go tour. We decided that it probably looked just like any other over-sized sports arena. Since it was so cold, we found a frozen pond that people were walking on. After establishing that it was safe, we went on it too! Frasier said it was his first time on ice! I thought that was a little weird, but then there are first times for everything! After our Olympic/ice-capades we left to go get dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. On the way out we were overwhelmed by the number of people trying to get us to buy Olympic suveniers! We were bombarded by stuff and there must have been at least 20 people in our face! Frasier told them there stuff was trash, and they told us that white people were trash so it evened out... i guess. :-/ During dinner, we talked for a long time about China and reminisced about life in Snohomish...it was a good time :) And the best part was that Crystal and I managed to get back to our hotel room using the subway system all by ourselves and didn't get lost! Yay! There may be hope for us yet!

The last night we went out on the town and checked out some very colorful lively parts of the city. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but it was very beautiful because it was right next to a lake. We had fun dancing with our friends Troy, Dylan, Emily and Lexi (like no one was watching)! :p

The next day our plan departed around 5pm so we enjoyed a nice morning of sleeping in before the long 15-hour flight back to Vancouver, Canada before flying back to Seattle. There was a HUGE snowstorm that was came in and we were lucky to not be delayed too long. Customs was easy. I was able to get all my Baijiu (if you don't know, that's probably better that you don't) back to the U.S. without any problems. We also had a nice long lunch as our last meal before flying out (see pictures below): YES we all tried scorpions! Not my cup of tea...just tasted like an overcooked, crispy shrimp or something, but I learned that the stingers are okay to eat...


Crystal and I on the subway all by ourselves for the first time:

Our ice-capades (and Frasier's first time!):

At the Olympic Arena at the Bird's Nest:


Reflections:
All in all, I can say is that China was AMAZING! Words can't describe! The people there are so different from here in America. Just their culture, lifestyle, everything! They care so much about your well-being and are very willing to help you if you are lost or just want to practice Chinese. I can't wait to go back one day! My goal is to become fluent so that I can work with the Chinese people. I'm not sure in what capacity: teaching English, a government job like at an embassy, or maybe business. There are so many opportunities in China and the people there want to give them to you! I am hoping to get some sort of summer internship there. Also, I am considering two years in the Peace Corps in China after I graduate, if they will let me. With its growing economy and as it slowly opens up to more of the world's influences, it will be one of the most important nations is the upcoming years. It will be instrumental in the economy. With the U.S. in a near-depression, I know where I will be if the going gets tough! ;-) It's true that China has had some hard times with Mao Zedong and his Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward, as well as continuing unrest in areas like Tibet, and also its Communist government. It's important that more people learn about China, it language, and its culture. I think many people have overlooked it, but times are changing! China is the place to be! I am greatful for all the opportunities I have been given while in China and I anxiously await the exciting, and unexpected ways China will be a part of my future! Love and Peace. God bless!

~*~Sarah Swetz~*~
韦莎莎

Bible Verse of the Day
Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

Chinese Word of the Day

完全 Wan Quan "To complete"

Beijing: Part Three

Day three and we are at the Great Wall! It was really awesome, really beautiful, but really windy, really cold, and REALLY steep! I consider myself an athletic person and I was struggling...so I would not recommend this for those of you who are not-so-in-shape! I got some pretty neat pictures though.



Afterwards we went to visit the Ming Tombs. These were some really big temple-type tombs that were from the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644). Here is Emperor Ming and some other stuff we saw there!



Bible Verse of the Day
Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Chinese Word of the Day

Deng 等 "wait"

Beijing: Part Two

So day two in Beijing was quite interesting! We went to this famous park called the People's Park. There were many elderly people who go there to exercise and relax. I heard that many come everyday. They did Taiji, and other exercises. There was this fox-tail type ball that they played with using a raquet with holes in it. It was fun to watch. They also got a kick out of the fact that Crystal and I are twins! People also gathered in the park to sing Beijing Opera. It was really cool to see. If I was Chinese, I'd be there just singing away like EVERY weekend!!! :)


We also went to the Temple of Heaven. It was a pretty typical temple. There was also this echo wall that was pretty interesting. You could hear someone whisper from all the way across the square if you and another person stood at opposite ends and faced the wall. The way the wall curved helpd carry the soundwaves. I don't really know that much about it, but it was cool...
In the evening we saw the Beijing Opera. It was very colorful and had some cool martial arts and acrobatics incorporated. The music itself was was a bit high pitched...not my favorite, but it was a good cultural experience. We were served tea and coffee during the performance.

Beijing so far has been very interesting and fun...I am looking foreward to seeing more! :)


Bible Verse of the Day
Proverbs 21:30 "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the LORD."

Chinese Word of the Day

Jing Ju 京剧 “Beijing Opera”

Beijing: Part One

Sorry this is such a belated post, I didn't actually have internet access until I got back, but I did blog in a word document and just copied and pasted. So here is what I wrote while I was in Beijing:

Phew! Today was loooong! I woke up at 5:45 so that I could get checked out and moved out of my dorm room by 7:00. Our flight took off at 9:15 and we arrived in Beijing by 11:35. We went straight to lunch and then toured Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It was so vast and magnificent—and not to mention that it felt like I was in the middle of the movie Mulan.

I would like to see where Mao Zedong is buried, but I’m going to have to do that on my own… China’s Mao-soleum if you will... :D

Today, I also saw the Beijing Acrobats. This was amazing! If you are ever in Beijing, this is one show you’ve got to go see! I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures (and plus my camera was “broken”…read on to find out) so you should just look them up on Youtube. They’re pretty cool. From jumping through hoops, to spinning plates, to running on hamster wheels suspended 20 feet in the air, to the contortionist movements of their bodies this was one of my favorite shows while I’ve been in China! Definitely a must see!

Right now in Beijing it is COLD! When we landed it was -2 degrees Celsius, so that’s like 25 degrees Fahrenheit or something. So as awesome as it was to be able to tour one of the most famous places in China, we were little popsicles by dinnertime.

Good News and Bad News: Bad news first- My camera broke (Crystal dropped it!!!) as well as my brand new duffle bag! L However, this bad news turned into good news as I, Sarah la extraordinaire, easily fixed them both. I know this probably doesn’t seem like that big a deal, but I was kind of upset when these things happened, so it was a relief that I fixed them.

Well, I am exhausted. I have to get up early tomorrow too! To be continued…

Bible Verse of the Day

Philippians 4:11-12 "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances...I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation"

Chinese Word of the Day

Liu you旅游 “To tour”

Good-bye Chengdu!

Wow, these past 4 months really have flown by! Crazy! It's about 12:30 at night right now and I need to wake up around 5:30 to check out of my dorm rooom and head to the airport to leave for Beijing. There are going to be lots of things I will miss about China:

My Host Family. My host father especially, Duan Yi Qiang, was super cool. He was really enthusiastic and supportive about me practicing my Chinese. It was neat being able to teach each other our own languages. He also helped our group plan events like the Earthquake benefit dinner and trip to Dujiangyan He grew up in Kang Ding county, near Tibert, so he knows a lot about their culture...and the food. Tibetan food is great! They have some of the best tea in the world...and you will never want to eat plain old steak again once you try yak! :p We have also been dreaming up how cool it would be to open my own coffee house in Chengdu. We've planned it out already: "ShaSha's (莎莎） Coffeehouse" and it will be near a college campus, open 24 hours, with free wi-fi, really comfy couches, and acoustic open-mic nights. Awesome. And it will be cheaper and better than Starbucks! ;) Since I'm really not that interested in business, Yi Qiang (and John??) can manage it, while I just make the best coffee in China. In 10 years, people here will have forgotten all about tea...well probably not but they will drink more coffee at least!


My Chinese Friends. So I have a few friends in particular that I'll miss. Both American and Chinese. My Chinese friend, Joe is one. He's a big guy (the tall guy in my last blog entry). He's really into American pop culture and basketball. I think he knows more than me! But he works really hard at his English and I hope to see him again when he comes to the U.S. for school. Gong Tang is my other friend. During this whole trip, he's probably been on of my best friends. I met him at English Corner and I helped him with his grad school applications to America. He's going for computer science. He's applying to like 20 different grad school, and I think he's going to get into all of them. He's very smart. I was also surprised by how much he cared about little things, which was nice. Like he always made sure I had hot water for tea in my dorm and that I had warm enough clothes. Those were some cool things about him. But he never let me pay for any meal. He said I can treat him when he comes to America...I'm not sure he'll hold to his word. But today we went to Karaoke and dinner. It was sad, but it was a good way to spend my last night in Chengdu.


English Corner. So tonight was the last night I went to English Corner. I had made a bunch of postcards of Washington State that said "I was very happy to have met you"--only in Chinese-- and I taped on the back a Northwest blend of tea. It was nice being able to give all my English corner friends a little gift from home, but it was sad at the same time, being because it was the last time I was going to see many of them. :(

I definitely won't miss finals and I am excited for J-Term and Spring semester at PLU. I am taking a philosophy class called Creationism vs. Evolutionism which I'm psyched about! I am also going to concentrate more on my other major, Communication, although I am also going to take an Asian anthropology class and the last semester of Chinese language.

Now its good-bye to Chengdu, hello to Beijing. We are planning on visiting the Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Ming Tombs as well as watch some prtty sweet shows like the Beijing Acrobats and the Beijing Opera...among other things! I'm totally pumped! Cannot wait! What a great way to end this semester. I will try to blog everyday for the next few days because I think too much will happen everyday, so if I try to cram it all into one blog, it wouldn't be as good. So ya...that's all for now! I'll keep you posted! Zaijian! ;)

Bible Verse of the Day
Hebrews 13:1&2 "Let mutual love continue. ²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it."

Chinese Word(s) of the Day

Ji de mei yi jian shi 记得每一件事 “Remember Everything"

Benefit Dinner & (More) English Corner

So my time is winding down in China...only 16 days left until I am back home in Washington State! Time feels like it's flying by! I just finished my politics final paper on Mao Zedong which was the last major hurdle in my studies while abroad. I have already taken my Taichi final and passed with flying colors. All I have left is a calligraphy final (and I'm the Chosen One, so I'm not worried haha :] ), a Chinese language, and culture final. I feel relatively confindent in all of these subjects so hopefully its all smooth-sailing from here on out! This last week and a half have been pretty busy! Lots to do! And, as always, some unexpected things happen along the way.

I would now consider myself a regular at English Corner. Many Chinese students come to see me every Friday night and some have come expecting Crystal and I to perform a new Chinese song that we've learned...or didn't learn as the case had most recently been. But I have downloaded a few Chinese songs with the intention of compiling a Zhongwen Yinyue Mix (Chinese music mix). So anyways, its been a lot of fun. And it's cool to help students your own age learn English while I get to practice my Chinese! :D Here are some of the other "regulars":


The Saturday before last we had a benefit dinner with a variety show and auction to raise money for the victims of the Sichuan Earthquake. Crystal and I sang "Prayer of the Children." I feel like it went well. We had some quite interesting acts from raps about pandas (Xiong Mao- that means panda in Chinese) to a group of the boys doing a coreographed Nsync routine. I got a chance to see many of my Chinese friends and help a good cause. Here are some pictures:




I also brought my host father to church last Sunday. That was a pretty cool thing. I didn't understand much of the sermon, but I think he took something away from it. I think he wants to pursue Christ it further. Keep praying!

And just this last Saturday I went to go get a Qipao (chee-pow) made for me and Crystal. A Qipao 旗袍 is a traditional Chinese dress. Since Crystal was out of town, and we are the same size (relatively speaking) I just ordered two of the same designs, just different colors ;-) I'm really excited for them! I will post pictures as soon as I have a chance to wear it!

Apart from hanging out with my Chinese friends and practicing my language I have also been keeping myself busy with seasons 1-4 of The Office! I just finished season 2...maybe I have too much time on my hands. But hey...its getting cold outside, what else am I supposed to do while staying indoors??

Bible Verse of the Day
Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..."

Chinese Word of the Day

Han Jia 寒假 Winter Vacation

Here's Something Unexpected: Rural China!

So this last weekend I took a trip to Lizhuang, a rural town in Sichuan province. It was right along the Yangtze River. I was surprised by many things in this trip:

1) How much it reminded me of my hometown, Snohomish! Now I don't think I'm homesick quite yet :] but if I was, this would have made me miss everything about home. This little town has a river that runs right along it and has just a few main streets. (For those if you from Snohomish who are reading this, it seemed that I could almost map out where 1st and 2nd street, as well as where all the lettered avenues would be in Lizhuang) Craziness. Here's some pictures. Tell me if you know what I mean. Of course the houses were more primordial than the many antique stores I'm used to seeing, but just the layout and geography of the town was very similar to that in Snohomish.


2) I think I always knew this all along but it's still good to be reminded that, no matter where you go in the world, children are the same everywhere! I don't think that many foreigners come to this town, so we were all instantly celebrities. I keep saying this and I'll say it again...I still don't understand why I'm so interesting! But many of the children (ages 6-10) had a great time showing my sister and I around town and testing our Chinese language speaking ability! It was a lot of fun! We also taught them how to play "Red Light, Green Light" or "Hong Deng, Lu Deng." There are some universal things that all children possess. Like sticks, puddles, and rocks being the greatest play-things any boy could find. And girls all being obsessed with their roller skates and being able to hang upside down on monkey bars (I know that was totally me when I was in elementary school!!!).


3) Curfews?? So a few classmates and I went to play some pool with some of the local high school-aged kids. They were very excited to hang out with us and tell u about what kind of English songs they liked to listen to. I, likewise, was interested to learn more about them. It just so happened to be one of the boy's 16th birthday. They invited us to go to a karaoke hall (pretty much one of the only things to do in this town on a Saturday night) with them to celebrate. All the karaoke rooms were full, so I suggested that we go back to my hotel and maybe find a place in the lobby or dining hall to celebrate and eat the cake that they had with them. By this time it was around 9:15 pm. On the way back, we were met by a police officer who told us that it was all time to go home. I think this because the kids we were with were minors, but we were all disappointed to have to go home "early." As a side note, they gave us their birthday as a "friendship cake" which I reluctantly took. I mean, it wasn't my birthday and I didn't want to take this cake from them which was probably a greater expenditure for them than it would be for any of us. But they insisted and I couldn't refuse a friendship cake, after all. To complicate matters, I had a tough time convincing my other classmates that the cake was not 'poison' and that the children did not get it from some shady place. To top it off, unfortunately, many of them had some intestinal troubles the following day for which my cake was blamed. I still think that the strange rural dishes containing pork, stuffed eggplant, and other mystery food was the culprit. (I got a little sick myself, but I did not end up partaking of any of the said 'poison' cake due to the high velocity by which my classmates ended up inhaling that which they were so afraid of eating...and using chopsticks nonetheless :] ) But anyways, that whole experience was interesting and a bit unexpected. But what I meant to say before going on that cake tangent was that I thought it was strange that they considered anytime past 9 pm "late." Just a different culture I guess. It makes me wonder what goes on after 9:00 that made officials in Lizhuang implement that type of curfew. Then again...maybe I don't want to know...The cute small town feel may be a bit deceiving.

4) The most random thing ever! So we're riding on our bus on the way to Lizhuang when we stop at a dinosaur museum! This was a BIG thing. The town (whose name my memory fails me at the moment) was centered around this museum. It was dinosaur EVERYTHING!!! But we had fun walking around and posing like dinosaurs the whole time. I thought it would be lame, but turned out being very fun and quite cool. Here's some pictures :p




5) And last, but not least, was our hotel. It was formerly a Buddhist temple so the layout was quite interesting. I stayed on the 4th floor, but I had to climb a mountain of stairs to get to my room. Our bathrooms were the best (or worst??) part. If you just look at the pictures, you'll see what I mean... :)


All in all it was a great experience and I feel like I learned a lot about Chinese rural culture. I would like to go back some day. Here are just some more pictures of farm life! Enjoy!





Bible Verse of the Day:
Galatians 5:16 "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."

Chinese Word of the Day:

Cheng ji 成绩 "Achievement; Accomplishment"