New Perspectives...

OK, so it's not the end...

2010-04-08T04:36:00.001-04:00

I don't live in China for the time being, so it felt strange to write on a blog address called "Experiencing China." Here's where you can read all my posts, both new and old!

http://watchorlive.blogspot.com/

The End!

2009-05-17T12:58:00.006-04:00

I've left Beijing and I don't know when I'll be back...and that is so hard to say out loud. Leaving Beijing was one of the toughest and most emotional things I've done in a long time. An intense outpouring of love from my friends made me realize how much I loved the city, the people I met there, and how I had more friends in that city than in any other single location in the world. As Rory reminded me, "Don't be sad that it's over, just be glad that it happened!" We are all made of different chapters, and they open and close with the flow of life. My Beijing chapter has just finished, but I know that China will always beckon me back and I will find time for it again and again. Thank you, thank you, thank you to China, Beijing and every person that I have grown to know and love there! I can't wait to see you all again!

For now I am closing the "Experiencing China" blog, as I would be doing it injustice because I am no longer living there. I graduated with an International MBA degree and accepted my first job in the United States. However, it is with a global company so I will definitely be able to enjoy various cultures and seek out the new perspectives that so often drove this blog. As an ending note, I've included some of the graduation pictures. So long for now, it sure has been fun sharing life with all of you! 再见朋友们!

These are most of my classmates that did the Chinese track of the IMBA!

My Family (minus Kelsey)

And my Aunt and dear friend Courtney that also trekked to Columbia to watch the graduation!

End of April 2009 in Beijing

2009-05-13T20:31:00.011-04:00

The end of April in Beijing brought with it beautiful weather and fun outside! First stop: Boating with Rory and the gang!

We got 10 people on the electric boat!

And puttered around the lakes in Houhai, all is green in Beijing!

It was also my last month to enjoy some of the favorite Chinese foods! This is what a typical spicy soup for Hot Pot looks like! You cook the raw meat and vegetables in the red pot, dip it in the peanut sauce in the front and enjoy! Mmmm.

Rory's adopted Chinese family also invited us for a lovely homemade dinner!

And last but not least...flowers! Everything started blooming so it was time to trek out to the many parks in Beijing and take pictures with the flowers!

Guests in Beijing!

2009-04-17T03:44:00.013-04:00

In the beginning of April, two friends came to Beijing. John- a first-timer and Adrian- a returnee. I spent the first part of the month seeing Beijing again through the eyes of a newbie. Here are some of the adventures:
The group at brunch on Sunday:

With Adrian and John at the Saddle:

Back at Mutianyu section of the Great Wall:

And coming down the great wall on the toboggan slide:

At Korean BBQ with Zhangyi:

On Jingshan hill overlooking the forbidden city:

The classic Chinese baby pants...how do they do that potty training so early???

At the 798 Art District, which one am I?

The Panjiayuan Antique Market:

And the good ole Chinese acrobatics!

Good Times in Seoul!

2009-03-30T20:21:00.005-04:00

I went for a long weekend in Seoul to visit my cousin Laura and to add one more Asian place to the list before I move back to the States in May. We did lots of fun stuff, so instead of narrarating it, I like lists! 16 things we did in Seoul:

1) Visited Gyeongbokgung Palace:
(I realized how much the Koreans borrowed from Chinese as all of the buildings looked just like Beijing's Forbidden City and the titles of each were in Chinese characters.)
2) Watched a changing of the guards at the palace
3) Ate traditional Korean BBQ: (Mmm Mmm Good! Done over coals in the middle of your table)
4) Walked along Insadong street, (fun art and culture pedestrian area)
5) Bought great street jewelry! (I like the street jewelry much better than in China. It is original and inexpensive!)
6) Ate Korean pancake and powdered rice cubes from the street vendors
7) Met up with an old Korean friend that I studied with in Beijing.
8) Spent a night at a fancy wine bar. (We don't really have these in Beijing. The wine list was a book!)
9) Went to the Dr. Fish cafe where fish give you a pedicure by eating at the skin on the bottom of your feet. Weird!
10) Enjoyed Turkish, Thai, Indian and American delights at various restaurants throughout the trip.
11) Walked along the Cheonggyecheon Stream that runs south of the palaces while sipping Lattees.
12) Went to the large COEX Aquarium (saw my first two-headed turtle)
13) Took silly pictures in one of the crazy Asian photo booths
14) Enjoyed the plethora of cafes and donut shops on every corner!
(No, even more than that, multiples on every block! Who knew the koreans were so into coffee, donuts and belgian waffles?)
15) Went to the top of N Seoul Tower to gaze upon the city.
16) Toured the National Museum of Korea

In summary, a good time was had by all! And thanks to Laura for all the hospitality!

Trip to Guangxi III: Final Thoughts

2009-03-19T08:30:00.010-04:00

I wanted to include the last thoughts or pics on the trip to Guilin before I move onto the next thing. Yangshuo's foreigner-hangout and really the only interesting strip in the city is called Xi Jie, or West Street. We went a couple of times for shopping, coffee, etc. Xi Jie at night:

When you get out of the big cities, you see a lot of interesting vehicles in China. Like these old trucks with exposed engines. They make quite the clanking as they putter down the street and are really only used for trash, landscaping, etc.

Back in Guilin we visited the Elephant Trunk Hill. Apparently to Chinese people, this is a symbol of this city. Of course, I had to demonstrate where the hill got its name:

Around the mountain were photo ops with various local cultural outfits. I chose to go the fisherman route. These are my fish-catching birds:

I couldn't find many specialties in Guilin except for Mifen, or "rice noodles." I'd say this is one province with relatively few offerings when it comes to food. These noodles are served up with a little meat and pieces of vegetables and then you add as much pickled vegetables and spices to the soup as you can handle. It's OK...but pretty uninteresting compared to other Chinese foods.

However, rice wine and corn juice were both new to me on this trip! Rice wine was not so good...I just wanted to try it because I was amazed they had found yet another way to eat rice. Corn juice, however, is fabulous. It is served warm with a bit of honey...like a thin, sweet soup. We ate it practically every day we were down there, so this was definitely a good culinary find.

That's all for the Guilin trip. Next stop: Seoul.

Trip to Guangxi II: Yangshuo

2009-03-19T08:08:00.008-04:00

The village of Yangshuo is the launch-pad village for the trips to Lijiang River, which was my last blog. We stayed 2 nights in this town, set in a background of those beautiful pointy mountains. This was the first night, as we waited for a bus to a show.

Besides the river, a must-see is the show by famous director Zhang Yimou. (Many popular movies and most recently, the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony Creative Director) The show was based outside, and this was the audience as we waited in the moonlight:

The show started with a vocalist in the lake and mountains lit-up in the background.

The torches lit up all around the lake as the minority peoples sang from all directions...first men then younger girls:

There were all sorts of creative dance and props on the water, representing various parts of this Southern China culture...

Then the show ended with hundreds of singers linked hand-in-hand walking across various platforms over the water in lit-up outfits. With impressive coordination they turned the lights on and off creating patterns and rhythms with the music.

Zhang Yimou certainly does an amazing job of creative directing as well as creating art with large numbers of people. I was very much reminded of the Olympics opening ceremony as I watched this show. It's called "Impression Liu Sanjie" if you are ever down there and interested in going!

Trip to Guangxi: The LiJiang River

2009-03-16T02:53:00.015-04:00

I'm on a long weekend trip to the Southernmost part of China to a province called Guangxi. This province that borders Vietnam (as shown on the map) is famous for its scenery that appears in the classical Chinese paintings, songs, etc. A must-see for any long-term China traveler. I'm not going in order here but I will skip right to the LiJiang River and Yangshuo, where we went on our second day. These peaks that jutt out of the water are the most unique mountains I've ever seen, and the same ones that I've always seen in images of China.

In fact, the place where we were initially dropped off to take a boat was the exact image from the 20 RMB bill...(as I'm trying to show you in this picture. But you can click it for a larger image)!

The locals live off of the land as it is green and full of life. These guys had two very different methods of fishing...One with a bamboo boat and the other with a trained bird:

Then we ate some of their catches as we got to our half-way point. The crabs and fish were fried whole so we ate them that way. Quite tasty actually!

That's all for the Lijiang River. I'll share more from the town of Yangshuo and the city of Guilin soon!

Beijing Birthday + Weekend Brunch

2009-03-10T07:00:00.017-04:00

This was my third birthday in Beijing and they have all been wonderful so far thanks to great friends! We had a lovely steak dinner (first and probably last in Beijing this year) followed by a party hosted at my friend Chris's house. These are some of the peeps from the party!

Thennn...comes Sunday brunch! We have set out to be connoisseurs of the Beijing champagne brunch offerings. This week's offering: The Intercontinental Hotel.
Major plus: Pork ribs and other BBQ imported from Texas, USA and cosmopolitans included in the buffet.
Minus: Service not as good and poor live music doesn't meet up with the Westin's jazz singer from New York. We enjoyed ourselves immensely as another "Sunday Funday" came to an end.

Attendees line-up:

Group shot of everyone after they came around with loads of cotton candy:

The evening continued at a friends nice pad back on the East side of Beijing. Altogether a good day and an enjoyable birthday weekend.

Cuandixia Village, Day Trip!

2009-03-02T05:22:00.006-05:00

Every now and then you just gotta get out of the city. And when that time comes, I'm oh-so-thankful for the occasional friend that owns a car in Beijing. We chose a page out of a Beijing day-trips excursion guide and decided to roll out on Saturday morning for a deligtful day of driving, exploring and blue skies in Cuandixia village, 2 hours West of Beijing.

This village was built during the Ming Dynasty (some 500-600 years ago) and still stands in a quiet valley with little temples, mountain paths and numerous family-owned inns and restaurants.

A charming day trip. Although there is certainly not much along the lines of entertainment in these little villages, I highly recommend it for the walk, blue skies, local cuisine and just recharging your batteries again before Monday!

Weekend Bliss

2009-02-22T22:28:00.008-05:00

Bubbalicious! After 2+ years of living in Beijing, I FINALLY went to the infamous Bubbalicious brunch at the Westin Hotel in Beijing. It is 4 hours of eating scrumptious international selections and enjoying free-flowing champagne. This was the entrance to the brunch:

The dining room

Rory and I got there first and started brunch with sushi, sashimi and champagne! This of course was followed by selections of Belgian waffles, eggs benedict, Indian curries, seared Foie Gras, lamb chops, French cheeses, caviar, Chinese dumpling soup, and anything else you could possibly dream up. (Yes indeed, 1 brunch = 1 week at the gym)

The whole group:

My favorite section: desserts. Yes, that is a chocolate fountain. My personal best dessert award: hot sweet-bread pudding.

And it was family friendly! Kids were all around, entertained by clowns and a kid's section. They had an ice cream and candy bar just for them. I was amazed to see how many families managed to spend the entire 4 hours enjoying the food and drink without kids getting restless. Heck, even I was entertained!

Other memorable weekend times were crazy karaoke on Friday night...

and hanging out with some good-lookin homeboys from USC on Saturday night!

So do I really have to start classes next week? The thought of joining the real world after a weekend like this can be painful.

February and The First Snow

2009-02-21T03:40:00.008-05:00

Snow came down for a few days in Beijing and was the first precipitation this city has seen in a long time. It was only miserable for one morning as everything was slush and mud. After it warmed up a bit, it just added a nice touch to the trees and buildings in the city. These ladies were walking like me in the first few hours, trying not to slip!

The same afternoon I went to orientation at Tsinghua University, where I will be doing the last credits of my MBA. This is one of the main buildings on campus:

Other notable events were a trip to the Olympic Water Cube to see some Chinese pop music awards:

The stage was built out over the swimming pool and commercial breaks were occupied with fountains and syncronized swimming. Impressive.

There have also been costume parties and dress-up:

Spa days for newcomers to Beijing:

And good eats as we get back into the swing of things with some amazing Beijing restaurants! Check out these delicious dumplings:

Lantern Festival: Festivity and Fire

2009-02-09T21:39:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the Chinese Lantern Festival. It is the 15th day of the first month of Chinese traditional calender and it marks the end of New Years festivities. It is now the year of the Ox, which I am proud to say is my year. There are images of the Ox all over the city and have been fire works every day, with major displays all over the country on the first day and last day of the New Year period.

Last night being the last legal day the Chinese could set off fireworks, the dangerous displays began. As I was walking with friends to a favorite Mexican restaurant, we felt like we were in a war zone with shells flying all around us. Later that night, I heard that the new CCTV building was on fire and almost cried. Thankfully, it wasn't that building (it's brand new and an amazing feat of architecture as the two towers are leaning towards each other to meet in the middle). But it was the adjacent, also newly constructed and unopened Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Some lives were lost, many people injured, and traffic shut down for miles. It is so sad to see such a large and new building in the heart of Beijing burn down because of the idiocy of fireworks that go on during New Year. Hopefully this will introduce some new regulation and control for next year's festivities.

Bangkok III: A Cultural Show

2009-02-05T00:57:00.010-05:00

On our last night in Bangkok we went to see Siam Niramit, which is a big show and culture exhibition for tourists...a little like a mini-Disney. I enjoyed it nonetheless because it was quite elaborate and showed a lot of traditions, dances and costumes from Thailand!

I loved the intricacy of these ancient Thai-style costumes. Dressed like this they looked like the images of the gods in their temples. The dances were also very beautiful.

They had also built a traditional Thai Village to walk around before the show. They had people performing and making Thai snacks for people before we went in. This one was a coconut treat, very yummy:

Posing with one of the performers after the show:

Before I end the Bangkok blogging, I wanted to throw in a few miscellaneous pictures from events over the last couple of days. One night we met up with some old friends from China. Two Thai and one Japanese classmate that I studied with in Beijing were in Bangkok. We all got together for some Thai food and catch-up time:

We also went to the Bangkok aquarium. Here's ZhangYi checking out a Sting Ray:

This is just me trying to imitate an enormous ugly fish:

Well, that's all from Bangkok folks! I'm leaving to go back to Beijing. Time to get back to the real world. It will be much colder and a lot less beachy,...but somehow I still miss it!

Bangkok II: A River Trip

2009-02-04T23:01:00.007-05:00

One afternoon in Bangkok we did a highly recommended river trip. We rented a Thai-Style "long boat" for two of us and did a two hour trip around the large river and smaller canals. The river houses are very lively with people washing, cooking, etc. along the banks and little boats with wares and foods for sale.

We were a little surprised to see this enormous lizard along the banks near the boat. He was the size of our alligators:

This guy didn't seem to mind that tourists were passing by while he was doing his morning fishing in his underwear:

A woman selling snacks out of her boat:

Bangkok by boat is definitely a different feeling from walking along the streets. I highly recommend it for those of you that are going to visit!

On to Bangkok! The Grand Palace

2009-02-04T22:17:00.009-05:00

After 3 more nights in the Patong area of Phuket Island, I finally left the island that was my home for 3 weeks and went with Zhang Yi to Bangkok. We'd spend 4 nights there! On the first day we went to the Grand Palace and adjoining temple:

The Grand Palace...is quite Grand!

The decorations on every wall, pillar and statue were very ornate and mostly mosaic work. Sometimes images of flowers or graphics and many were images of Buddha or other gods.

Exiting the palace we met some eager and cheerful street vendors. Zhang Yi...the shopoholic that she is, always stops!

More shopping. Thailand has gems and silver galore, and at cheaper prices that China!

Later that night we wandered along KhaoSan road, where we were staying. Every square inch is full of people selling something or some street food. We stopped for fresh mango in coconut juice. Mmmmm.

Moved to Patong, Zhang Yi comes to town!

2009-01-29T22:18:00.004-05:00

After the fast I did raw foods for a bit and then broths and cooked vegetables. Day 17 I finished something like 20+ pounds lighter and feeling very good! I moved to a hotel in Patong, another area on Phuket Island and went Wednesday night to pick up Zhang Yi (Jenny) at the airport. We'll be in Thailand together for one last week before we head back to Beijing.

After she arrived, we had coconuts on the first lunch! How typical, right? This lunch was the first time in my life that I've ever eaten raw oysters,...and I must say that they were fabulous! The Thai served them with a little lime and chili sauce and it was perfect! (Yes, I'm eating seafood, fruit and vegetables now! Nothing else though. It's not hard to keep to that at all in Thailand!)

After lunch we went elephant riding with a third friend from the fasting center. Also a first for me! Our elephant was 32 years old, and the guide was 22.

Saying goodbye was hard! He was such a cute creature...but a bit of a beggar when it came to bananas :)

Thai Fast: Day 13, 14: Food Tomorrow!!!

2009-01-25T07:10:00.006-05:00

That's right, day 14 is the last day of the full fast. Tomorrow morning I get to slowly begin "breaking" the fast. For three days I will be allowed 2 green salads, 1 plate of fruit and 2 fruit drinks for the day. This raw food should be spread out over 6 small meals. Your body has trained itself to be in "starvation" mode as it has not had food for two weeks. Small, frequent, raw meals get your body accustomed to the fact that it will have food coming on a regular basis and does not need to store everything. It coaxes the metabolism up to a normal level. Only after a few days of raw can you slowly start adding other things and seeing how you feel. One shrimp here, a few nuts there. Anyway, the thought of starting to eat a little tomorrow is exciting. Lord knows that is all that we sit around and talk about all day!

Saturday, Day 13, we went for a morning walk on the beach. It was a beautiful morning. Lots of folks were exercising and there was a big group of folks training in Thai Boxing.

The evening of Day 14, Sunday, we went on a sunset trip. Wasn't much of a sunset with the clouds, but it draws quite a crowd nonetheless. And it is never painful to look at all of these beautiful islands.

Thai Fast: Days 11 & 12: Big Buddha and Patong Trip

2009-01-24T00:34:00.014-05:00

Day 11 we went to see the "Big Buddha" project that is on one of the highest spots of Phuket. The Buddha is enormous and can be seen from almost anywhere on the island.
A man gazing at the Big Buddha:

There are monks that live on the premises. This one had the public rotation where he sits and blesses the visitors that come in:

A Coconut Juice break...again. Can you tell this is the ONLY treat we are allowed? :-)

Evening of Day 12 we went out to Patong. A crowded area full of shopping, lights and night activity. Incedentally, it is also the better place in Phuket for seeing Thailand's infamous "Ladyboys."

Nicole and Myself with two of the Ladyboys. Yes, transgenders. They were born men and then made the transformation later in life:

Check out the size of this seafood! The restaurants all put it out on ice to show you what you are getting before you agree to come in:

Thai Fast: Days 8-10

2009-01-21T07:33:00.009-05:00

Days 8 and 9 were relatively uneventful. Evening activity on Day 8 was a bit of Tai Chi and Day 9 was a nutrition talk and coaching on how to break our fasts. We also got to look at lots of lovely pictures of stuff that should be and is coming out of us! You wouldn't believe the stomach plaque and parasites that everyone is seeing leave their bodies. It's downright scary.

During evening activities, around 7pm all the creatures start to come out. Frogs, crickets, geckos, and mosquitos, (Mossies as the Australians here call them), and probably some more unpleasant things. I love the lizards that hang out near the light. I took a picture of one on Tai Chi night. Thanks to Geico I always imagine them speaking in Australian accents!

Day 10 we went on a "moutain walk" which was really just an uphill walk on a road. We went up to a peak that overlooks a little section of the island. On the way we ran into Dha doing her morning exercise. Dha is my favorite masseuse...she really takes care of us! (And yes, hide your disbelief, Stephanie is getting a tan!)

A view of Nai Harn beach half-way up the hill. This is the only beach I've actually been to on Phuket, and there are lots!

On of the views from the top, check out that water and coral underneath!

A few from the group resting at the lookout over a nearby island:

And for all of you that don't believe I'm actually there:

Thai Fast: Day 7, Trip to the Night Market

2009-01-19T04:03:00.001-05:00

Around 6pm we taxied to the night market in the middle of Phuket Town. There were people everywhere, and surprisingly a lot of locals. The outer ring of stalls were all food items and fresh local snacks, and the inner rings were shopping, gifts, etc. Just a few pics and a quick video for you:

I had to watch as she arrange the kabobs and dribbled the amazing tangy/spicy sauce all over them! I'll have to come back for the tofu kabobs after the fast! No meat allowed that soon!

Selling flowers and knick-knacks.

Finally, a quick video of a small section of the food market:

The shopping was pretty uninteresting at the market. Pretty cheap with a lot of knock-offs. Not much of anything I couldn't find in China. However, we all agreed that we would want to come back after the Fast for the variety of local snacks and treats!

Thai Fast: Days 4-6

2009-01-17T05:56:00.009-05:00

Days 4 and 5 were relatively uneventful. I spent the time letting my foot recover and didn't leave the wellness center as I was weaning off of crutches. Day 4 was definitely the low point of the fast. I was nauseous all day and slept most of the day and night. Day 5 and 6 I was back and feeling good. Always a little hungry, but had plenty of energy and stayed awake during the day.

Day 6 was an excursion to Coral Island!! First we bundled up in a two row taxi truck sitting shoulder to shoulder:

The group making their way into the boats:

In the boat on our way:

Coral Island from the beach:

Snorkeling around the coral:

The fish went crazy around people because they were so used to being fed bread!

Enjoying fresh coconut juice. This was actually the first time I'd "cheated" in 6 days. Some folks are on fast + juice programs, but I'm on a pure fast program. The coconut juice was soooo sweet after all those nasty clay/fiber drinks!

A lovely day! I can't wait until the night market excursion tomorrow!

Thai Fast: Days 2 and 3.....The Good and the Ugly

2009-01-14T18:33:00.005-05:00

Day 2 I got out and went on the beach trip in the afternoon. It was very pretty, cold water and white sand. This beach had a lot of people on it, but that also brought a lot of shopping and food/drink...which I was of course not allowed to partake in. I was still pretty hungry day 2, but Day 3 proved to be easier to handle.

As you can see, there are a lot of islands right off of the coast of Phuket:

After coming back from the beach and heading out the door to a massage, I mis-stepped and sprained my ankle. That put quite the damper on the afternoon of day 2 and morning of day 3. For 24 hours I couldn't put any weight on it and was hopping around my room to get things or go to the bathroom. Day 3 morning I went to the international hospital and it was X-rayed. No small fractures, just partially torn ligaments. So I got a compression wrap and crutches! Yay! Back on my feet again. By afternoon of day 3 I was already walking better with the crutches and able to put a little weight on it. It seems as if I cannot visit a country without going to its hospitals! This was my doctor:

And sorry if you don't want to see this, but I think it's cool!! This is the swollen and black/blue foot:

I'm just thankful that I'm planning on staying in this one place for another 10-12 days. If I was traveling around it would be most difficult!

A Thai Fast!

2009-01-12T19:06:00.006-05:00

As many of you know, I took off from Beijing a week after landing there. I suddenly decided in November that I should go south in January because it was so cold. Then i decided it should be Thailand because I've never been there. THEN I decided, wouldn't it be fun to go to one of those wellness centers there and do a fast too? So...I'm here! I'm doing a 14 day full fast followed by 3 days of raw foods to re-acclimate. I'm staying in a wellness center on Phuket Island in Thailand. As many of you know, this is the most famous tourist island with beautiful beaches, coral reefs and smaller islands off the coast for exploring.

I am 10 minutes inland and living at the center, but they give rides to the beach every afternoon for anyone that wants to go. In case you're curious, I thought I should share some details with you about what's in this program I'm doing. this is my room, a home for almost 3 weeks:

What I "eat"...which isn't much!
7:00 am: Herbs
9:30 am: Fiber and Clay Drink
11:00 am: Herbs
1:00 pm: Fiber and Clay Drink
3:00 pm: Herbs
5:00 pm: Fiber and Clay Drink
6:00 pm: Broth Soup
7:00 pm: Herbs
9:00 pm: Fiber and Clay Drink
10:00 pm: Pro-biotic Tablet to replace your healthy bacteria.

I know this sounds like a lot…but it is just a few pills and scoops of nutritional supplements. In the picture below, this is the bag we received in the morning of day 1 and the consultant said, “Here is all your food for the next 2 weeks!” Yikes.

Now for what I do! Activities:
7:30 am: Morning Ritual: This can include a combination of Yoga, stretching, Tai Chi, or Reflexology. Nothing too challenging. It’s more to get your blood moving and get you relaxed for the day.

A meeting lining up massage and therapy times for the rest of the day:

11:45 am: Morning Colema: A therapy that runs water all the way through your colon for 30-40 minutes, flushing it out. Sounds gross, and is a little weird in implementation, but you’d be amazed what’s in there and how long it has been stuck in the linings of your colon.

12-3 pm: Beach time: The center’s driver will make 10 minute trips to the beach during these hours if you want to go.

2:45 pm: 1 Hour Massage (YAY! My favorite part of the day. You can choose between Oil, Thai, Shiatsu, Foot Reflexology or Face and shoulder Massages.)

5:00 pm: Evening Colema: A repeat of what you did in the morning. But you can choose what types of colemas you want for various effects. Coffee, vitamin C, garlic and pure water are some of the choices. All have their advantages, and you can’t feel a difference.

5-6:30 pm: Herbal Steam Sauna: Wood-burning sauna that will run during these hours for those that are interested.

7:00 pm: “Something at 7”: This can include anything from yoga, dancing, kickboxing, nutritional classes, etc. You can chose to participate.

As you can see, there is really only free time in the mid-afternoon and after 8:30 at night. I’m thankful for all of it, because you need stuff to take up your time when you are thinking about food. I was very hungry the first day, starting around 11am, when your body is missing breakfast. I stayed hungry throughout the day, feeling only a little satisfied when we had hot tea or the fiber drinks. At night I dreamed that I had broken my fast and was eating my Dad’s cookies. Haha…of all things to appear in the dream! I was exhausted by 7pm and went to bed, missing the evening activity. They say days 1-5 are the hardest, 6-14 should be much easier. Following day 14 I will have 3 days of raw foods to bring me back to the world of solid foods gracefully. No binge-eating. It is 3 salads + fruit juice during the day because your body has to get used to digesting and bring the metabolism back up from the fasting rate.
Day 1 down, 13 to go!

My Grandfather

2008-12-24T11:26:00.001-05:00

This Christmas we said goodbye to my grandfather, Ned Brown. A legend in Beaufort, South Carolina, his memories left everyone laughing and loving each other a little more. The following definition of a successful man was read at his funeral. I think he is the only one in the family that truly fulfills every line:

"He has achieved success who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men
and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration; whose memory is a benediction."

This was the slide show that we put together for friends and family during the services. I think it really shows his breadth of experience and love of people. (Make sure you have your sound turned on):

Fall 2008

2008-12-19T10:25:00.012-05:00

Well, it's over. I've done everything I need to do to graduate with my IMBA degree! After we completed the core, I did a year of language study + an internship in China, followed by seven more elective courses. That went faster than I thought! As most of you know, I'm not graduating until May 2009, because I had to pay the last installment of tuition, so I'm going to hang in Thailand/China and take some classes but more vacation until it's time to graduate and be a working girl in June.

Fall 2008 was fast and furious. We got back from China in August knowing that there was a full semester of coursework ahead plus a fast-paced job search, trying to find that perfect something in the midst of a declining economy! Yikes! I went to Atlanta and Washington D.C. to participate in National MBA Career Fairs. Then after that I flew to two company headquarters in Ohio and Minnesota for final-round interviews. All signs pointed in the direction of one company, and I am happy to say that I accepted a position in a two-year Leadership Development Rotation Program with a diversified manufacturing company here in the States. So what is the specific role? Hard to describe. I will get a list of possible assignments and work with the program manager to decide on one. After the first year, I will change roles and do the second rotation in a different job, business unit and location, in an attempt to get a well-rounded view of the company and functions. At the end of the rotation program, I could go in any number of directions, but let's not cross that bridge until we get there :-) I'm excited to be lucky and blessed enough to receive a job offer in this poor climate, and look forward to starting in June!

So now you know the plan! Off to China on Jan 3rd, then Thailand for the end of January for some R&R. I will eventually start classes in February and keep you updated. Now for a few pictures from the Fall!

Moved into a little apartment in Five Points with my sister!

One of the first get-togethers early in the Fall...Sarah's birthday:

The roomies Adrian and Vinoth:

The first day at the career fair, only a little terrified! Look at all of those black suits!

Diwali Dinner, the Indian Festival of Lights:

A group of us out for dinner after a day at the grueling career fair!

Paco and Orlando come from Mexico and Tennessee to visit!

Racing Go-Carts as a stress-reliever during crunch time:

Ladies at the Holiday Party in December:

Going to see Karen's new little baby boy with Jessica!

Visiting Courtney in North Carolina for her 2-year-old's Princess Birthday Party!

And around the Thanksgiving table in Beaufort, SC:

The End! More from Christmas break soon :-)

My New Favorite Quote.

2008-11-18T14:52:00.003-05:00

When i read this I thought..."Yes. This is what I've been trying to explain but didn't have the words." And to think...he said this far before the convenience of airplanes...

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
—Mark Twain, 1857

Leadership Model

2008-11-11T14:32:00.003-05:00

I was reading an interesting article in the McKinsey Quarterly about "How Talented Women Thrive." I found the following 5-point leadership model very inspiring:

Meaning, or finding your strengths and putting them to work in the service of an inspiring purpose;
Managing energy, or knowing where your energy comes from, where it goes, and what you can do to manage it;
Positive framing, or adopting a more constructive way to view your world, expand your horizons, and gain the resilience to move ahead even when bad things happen;
Connecting, or identifying who can help you grow, building stronger relationships, and increasing your sense of belonging; and
Engaging, or finding your voice, becoming self-reliant and confident by accepting opportunities and the inherent risks they bring, and collaborating with others.

This model can obviously be used across genders, but resonates more with women as it was developed from a research study of successful women from around the world. I hoped you found it as interesting as I did.

Finally, I really identified with this quote...maybe because we share the same initials! :) Shona Brown, Google’s senior vice president of business operations, described how she handles opportunities and the risks that accompany them. “I’ll use a skiing analogy because I like to jump off cliffs,” she says. “But I generally jump off cliffs from which I’m relatively confident I’m going to land—or if I don’t, it’s not dangerous.” Brown said she enjoys risk. “I like to be at that point where you’re about to jump. Your stomach is kind of going ‘woo’! It’s not so simple that you’re sure you’ll succeed. But you’re not in a life-threatening situation.”

The Search Begins!

2008-09-21T19:34:00.003-04:00

The MBA job search is officially up and running after attending my first career fair in Washington DC last week. I have others coming up in South Carolina and Atlanta and am much more prepared for them after the first round. Looking for a job in Asia while being in the U.S. is harder than you'd think. These career fairs are stocked with all of your big-name companies, elaborate displays, free gifts and their HR recruiting teams for the USA. Most international positions are provided to seasoned, experienced people within the company. However, some have leadership development programs that offer rotations that could be international, depending on candidate preference.

All that being said, me looking for an international job in a domestic MBA career fair is just as hard as an international student looking for a company to sponsor their work visa in the U.S. However, I am very much inspired by the fact that all of these companies have expanding markets in China vs. contracting or stable markets in the U.S. My experiences in China and with the language was very much appreciated but they weren't sure they could use it in their current hiring systems.

What I learned:
- Go for more project-based firms (mainly consulting) instead of role-based firms because you can be assigned to projects anywhere in the world and are not usually held to a location.
- So make a consulting resume and a marketing resume.
- International headhunters also attend these fairs and are good targets.
- Starting from scratch, it might be easier to just go to China for the spring semester and continue the job search. (Disadvantage: Giving up the "expat" package.)
- A medium size might be better than a large company because they could be more flexible.

I got past the "meet and greet" in the exhibition to interview with two companies while I was there, both of them International Leadership Development Rotation Programs. As for that...well there's the two or three week wait to hear back. All total I researched hundreds of companies, had conversations with about 30, gave my resume to about 15, and had 2 first-round interviews. How's that for the funnel effect? Well, I'm positive about the whole thing and looking forward to the rest of this adventure. We shall see...

Back in the States

2008-08-27T21:38:00.002-04:00

Well I'm back! 18 months in China came to a close a lot faster than I expected or wanted. This is my last semester of classes for my Masters (although I might study abroad or not graduate until May 2009). The job search is starting up and will be a dizzying mix of career fairs, resumes, cover letters, company research, interviews, phone calls, etc. etc. I'll be talking to most companies with the goal of going back to work in China in 2009. I've already registered for 3 or 4 MBA career fairs (not in S.C.) that require travel and weeks of preparation. So let the fun begin!

Don't worry, the blog will continue although I can't guarantee life in South Carolina will be as entertaining as life in Beijing. However, there are always new perspectives to be explored, no matter where we are in the world!

Olympic Ceremony = 15,000 performers

2008-08-08T22:15:00.005-04:00

Many olympic writers are saying that this could very well be the most anticipated Olympics in the last 100 years. It's host country has gone absolutely all-out in preparations. It has one of the most unique designs for its central stadium, compared to only 3 or 4 other Olympic cities in the world in terms of best architecture and significance. Any person even remotely involved signed confidientiality agreements to keep it locked in sercrecy. For the opening ceremonies, this stadium + 32 other sites in the city absolutely lit up with fireworks. From where we were sitting, we could see two of the fireworks sites in the city.

The ceremony definitely displayed some typical characteristics of China performance: A) Enormous numbers of people (around 15,000 this time) and B) All of them acting in perfect unison to create a larger image or picture. From the teams with fans to the drumming in the beginning to the people creating Chinese characters, it was all perfect harmonization that made you say: How did they do that?!

Well, it took the 3 months of practice and all the performers were Chinese students. Some received a stipend of a couple dollars a day while others were purely volunteer. They received housing and transportation but mainly worked for their free ticket to China's most exciting ceremony. I'm sure if they didn't, there would be thousands more willing to take their place.

The U.S. team came out with fanfare second only to the China team. They were dressed in sailor-like uniforms and had upwards of 600 in the delegation.

It was a very impressive opening ceremony promoting the idea of peace and cooperation. Now come the events!

Olympic kick-off in 12 hours

2008-08-07T21:04:00.005-04:00

Tonight's the big night. It feels like the most anticipated night in China's last 100 years of history. We obviously don't have tickets as they are selling in the second hand market for thousands of dollars, but we do have a pretty nifty plan. Besides the Olympic stadium, there are 32 points of fireworks in the city, one of the biggest in Tiananmen square. The solution: A rooftop bar overlooking the square and the forbidden city with a giant TV to watch the ceremony. That's right, we want it all and Adrian actually found a place to make it happen :) Yin Bar is on top of the Emperor Hotel, just a stone's throw away from the action!

Here the press release for where about 12 of us will be tonight:

>> Yin Bar Press Conference, Opening Ceremony
Chen Dongliang, a representative from the Olympic design strategy team, and representatives from Emperor Hotel meet on the rooftop to discuss design strategy of the Olympics and boutique hotels. Free flow of sparkling wine, plus a big screen displaying the Opening Ceremony. Reservation recommended. Free.
7pm. Yin Bar (6523 6877)

I've never seen a city change so fast.

2008-08-03T23:21:00.005-04:00

I went out an around Beijing a little this weekend, being a tourist and exploring some of my old favorite spots that I'd heard had gotten face lifts. I just can't get over how this city has changed in just the 18 months I've been here, not to mention since I lived here in 2004!

The infrastructure is very developed with new subway lines, roads, police forces, etc. The "Odd/Even Rule" is working out pretty well. If your license number is an odd number, you can drive on odd days of the month, and vise versa if its even...cutting the number of personal cars on the road in half for the next two months! And they are strictly enforcing it. Security checks are everywhere, English speaking volunteers are asking if you need help, and the general population has been trained to stand in line! (not a typical Chinese characteristic.) I have to swipe my electronic card 3 times to get into my apartment now. Once for the complex, once for the building and once for the elevator. No thieves getting in there, not that I ever felt it was unsafe to begin with.

In public there are enormous Beijing 2008 banners everywhere, often strategically placed to cover up entire buildings or streets that may not be pleasing to the eye. This is in Wangfujing, the most popular and expensive shopping street in the city. Everything here is in a large scale, and I was surprised to see the whole street was plastered with the banners.

And on every corner there is a place to buy official Olympic merchandise...not the knock-off stuff. And on a normal day before the Olympics are even here, you would be standing in line to purchase anything.

One of the streets that I used to go to a lot is called DaZhaLan street, and is just south of Tiananmen Square. It has a lot of Beijing's "Oldest" or "Firsts" like the first movie theater, the most famous silk shop, the most famous shoe makers, etc. Just recently it and the entire area around it got a very expensive face lift with widened walkways, clean streets and new store fronts, opening just in time for the Olympics:

As you can see in the photos, the skies have been clear for several days now. Perfect blue skies. The cab drivers are saying it's the odd/even rule, but who can explain it. It makes me think that maybe the government might actually be able to make good of their pollution promise. We'll see.

But for the rest of the city, it seems as if a lot of deadlines were met. The Olympic stadiums are all ready and waiting, sparkling new buildings and streets are opening up all over the city, and security seems to double each week. For the opening ceremony we're going to have a party on a roof-top bar next to Tiananmen square so that we can simultaneously watch the TVs as well as the fireworks outside. I can't wait. As for the actual events, I'll just be going to artistic gymnastics on the 14th...so if you're watching TV...watch the stands for a blonde girl in the sea of black hair :)

3 Week Countdown

2008-07-24T05:06:00.004-04:00

3 weeks left in China. 2 weeks of work and a week of furious shopping, packing and attending Olympic events before I go home to hit the books for a semester. Needless to say, there have been lots of little get-togethers lately as people trickle out of the country. No one can get visas anymore because of the Olympics. All foreigners without tickets, employed or not, and all non-Beijing Chinese citizens have to leave. We're left with lots of goodbyes, less people on the street, and no one to take a sublease. Pure craziness. The good in the craziness is the time with friends in the last month. We just tried out the new Mexican restaurant in town, The Saddle:

And went boating in the lake near the Forbidden City, one of our favorite past-times lately :)

Good times.

Why China?

2008-07-23T01:32:00.004-04:00

I'm getting a lot of this two word question lately. My 10 month internship is coming to a close and my 18 month stay in China only has 3 weeks left. I am preparing to finish my MBA specialization in the Fall and participate in the job search. Of course everyone is curious as to where I will sign that first contract, and brace yourselves Mom and Dad, but it is most likely China.

I've naturally spent enormous amounts of time thinking and talking about this, but I think the reasoning is pretty simple. There are 2 main reasons why I'd want to stay here, at least for the short term:

A) It's Interesting

Who doesn't want to be stimulated every day? Not be bored with what's around you? Maybe I've been "ruined" by living abroad, but I come back to the U.S. and am bored. I look like other people around me, I act and think like people around me, I like the same foods and movies, I understand the language and know how to do all the processes needed for everyday life. I don't have most of that comfort in China, for all the good (learning and adventure) and bad (annoyances and mistakes) that may bring.

I like the way one author put it: "I went to China to get a glimpse of the new China, and the more years I spent there, the more work that vision required. The silver lining was that I also saw America clearly for the first time, as well as my own, private Americanness, in the reflected views of the Chinese. China showed me America's place in the world." (Rachel Dewoskin) America brings consumerism, capitalism, freedom and immorality all in one package, seducing the young and ambitious while being rejected by the old and traditional. The shifting generations are now separated by a cultural divide, just like many of the foreigners that have lived over here for an extended period of time.

Regardless, it's a non-stop road of learning about yourself and others. One which I'm not quite ready to give up because living in the U.S. might be more comfortable.

The second reason for my answer to "Why China?"-

B) I'm Interesting

Call it selfish, but I like living here because I'm unique. Put me in the U.S. next to any of the thousands of type-As pouring out of MBA schools, and I'm just another young, Caucasian girl with very little full-time work experience on her resume. However, you put me in China and it's a whole different story. I have a western education that I can share and communicate to the local people in their own language. These differences that admittedly cause a lot of headaches and staring actually become the sparks for conversations, new friends, opportunities and job offers.

And like I said above, I'm learning how this being different constantly teaches you who you are and what you're made of. I certainly never hear of exceptional people that blended in perfectly with the crowd...so maybe that means the path to exceptional is the path that's different. Who knows, the fun is in finding out.

Rain, Smog, Sun, Rain, Smog

2008-07-13T22:23:00.003-04:00

I'm interested to see how the Olympic weather is going to be here. It seems as if it has rained for a month. And when it's not raining it is smoggy or clear and scorching hot. The last thing I would ever want to do is run the marathon in this city next month. I feel for the athletes. Factories all around Beijing have shut down to clear up the skies. I had faith that it would work, but we're really close now and I don't see much difference. We'll see...only about 25 days left!

Opening ceremony tickets that were originally a couple hundred dollars are now being sold on the second hand market for $2,000-4,000 bucks a pop! So my friends and I have decided that Opening Ceremony house parties are the way to go. It's like the Super Bowl party in the U.S. just with chopsticks instead of chicken wings. I have tickets to a couple of events, but nothing important like finals, and I'm only here for the first week anyway. I'll probably go to one to say that I've been and then chicken out for the rest because of the crowds. But don't worry...I won't forget to buy the t-shirt.

The Family Pics are In :)

2008-06-30T03:08:00.004-04:00

In case you were wondering what my family looks like lately, Katie's wedding photographer just sent us the family pics from the reception. It's been a long time since all six of us have showed up for a portrait!

The above would be the Steve Brown Family and the below would be the Ned Brown Family. There's not a person missing! Ned's three children, their spouses, and all the grandchildren (including the new husband) are present. A day to go down in history :)

In truth, the only thing that might be funnier than all these ugly mugs, is a video of us actually taking this picture! We were all sweaty, getting dust in between our toes, and worried the sun would go down before Ned (grandpa) finished telling everybody where to stand! We made it through with a smile, but groaned gratefully and spilt in a million directions the minute it was over. All I gotta say is at least it was better than the Miller family picture (my Mom's parents) we tried to take in our house years ago, where someone kept passing gas and no one could stop holding their nose or laughing long enough to shoot the picture. Yes, this is what families are made of.

A Side Trip

2008-06-21T00:44:00.012-04:00

I surprised my family in June by showing up for a family wedding that no one thought I was coming to! It was great, and a fabulous week of vacation back at home. I played on the beach, ate lots of local seafood, and went in the boat just like I was a tourist. It was great to see everyone, even though I'm going home for the fall semester in August. I had a hard time knowing that everyone I'm related to was getting together in my home town to celebrate my cousin's wedding, and I wasn't going to be there. I would buy the plane ticket again in a heartbeat! Congratulations Katie and Patrick!!

One of the first days I was there, we went out in the boat for dinner and relaxation. It was majical to get back in the river. Here's me, mom and Mitchell cutting up in the back of the boat:

I even got to drive the boat for a minute, but then I got nervous and gave it back to my brother :)

This is us playing in something the locals call "pluff mud." Supposedly good for the skin, but it sure does make a funny scene! After you are completely covered and done rolling around in it, you just slide down the bank into the river to wash off. From the other boats and non-locals passing by, we sure did look like a bunch of crazies!

It just so happened that every time we went out in the river that week we saw dolphins. There must be a recent rise in local dolphin population, because I never saw that many in the past!

This is all the kids in the family at the wedding rehearsal dinner! It was nice to have all 4 siblings back in the house for a week. Sure did fill it back up, even if it was just a short time!

And now to the wedding! This is me after the wedding in the church with all of my grandmother's family, her sisters and brothers from Aiken, SC. This is a special crew, and it was great to see them again, as I don't get to see them often...maybe every few years or so.

This is me with the beautiful bride. I don't have any of the photographer's pics yet, so you'll have to just deal with mine. Katie is my only cousin on both sides that is the same age as me. We grew up together, with her family coming to Beaufort several times a year. Just couldn't miss her getting hitched!

Dad was the caterer (of course) for the rehearsal and wedding. It was great to eat some of his good food again. Don't get me wrong, Chinese food is good, but anyone would be crazy not to miss those cookies!

The bride and groom arrived at the reception by boat. Very romantic. This is them coming off the dock to greet the crowd.

As sunset approached, the couple was getting their picture done by the river. I caught this shot right as the photographer's flash went off. What a beautiful location for a wedding! I sure don't blame these Northerners for wanting to come down to little ole Beaufort for their wedding. :)

I went back to China the Monday after the wedding so I could go back to work for the last two months of internship this year. I look forward to seeing everyone again in August. And congrats again Katie and Patrick! I know you're having fun playing on the beaches of Mexico right about now.

Campbell Gals Pics Part II

2008-06-21T00:13:00.012-04:00

I never did finish posting the rest of the pics from their trip in May! Here are a few more of my favorites!

This is two tired chicas climbing the Great Wall. Believe it or not, I actually took them to the WRONG section. As many times as I have been to the Great Wall with visitors, I got the names mixed up. No wonder I couldn't find my favorite toboggan slide down the mountain!

This cute lady really wanted to show us her bird!

I took them by the Olympic stadium complex on their last day in town. That's the bird nest stadium in the background there. How do you like the sand storm? It turns Beijing skies a nice brown color a couple days each spring. No worries, it won't be like that for the summer olympics :) Oh, and the white buildings between me and the stadium are temporary housing that the construction workers live in. Construction workers come to Beijing by the thousands. Migrant workers, but still from China, just from the rural areas of the country.

In front of China's leaning tower. What? Pisa is unique?

Playing in front of the decorative windows in the Suzhou gardens:

Everyone singing their hearts out at Karaoke night:

Getting simultaneous manicures, pedicures and head massages after shopping. Isn't vacation nice?

Here's the girls enjoying my favorite treat on snack street. Strawberries coated in sugar. Who wouldn't love it?

The Campbell Gals Pay a Visit

2008-06-03T22:10:00.009-04:00

I haven't written in a month, but I've been busy! I got two weeks off in the middle of May because friends Jessica and Judith arrived in Beijing for vacation! We spent a week in Beijing and four nights in Hangzhou and Suzhou. Both of those places were first times for me and fabulous spots. Hangzhou is a city with the famous West Lake, perfect for bike riding, climbing pagodas and kayaking. Suzhou is the "Venice of the East" in that it has small one story houses all along canals, crossed by hundreds of little bridges. Perfect for walking, shopping and taking boat rides! All in all, we had a great time. Here's some pics for ya!

Playing during a sunset on the top of a pagoda:

Getting Lost:

The girls came the same week of the big earthquake in Sichuan on May 12th. This was a memorial on the floor of my building that we saw one night coming home...

Pretend telephone:

Hats Galore!

Buying jewelry in the market from an old friend:

Riding bikes in Suzhou:

Feeding fish outside of the Suzhou Museum:

The following post....

2008-05-09T04:02:00.002-04:00

The following post on China is debatable. The truth is, I never know exactly what I think, because I'm going on 2 years of living here, plus 20+ years of being socialized in the U.S., so it's a little mixed up! But I wrote the following article because it is a perspective that is different from a lot of what is showing up in the U.S. media, and something I run into on a daily basis. PLEASE leave comments, make it a discussion, because sometimes my news comes just as much from you as it does from the television or internet. I especially like Katbob's comment on the Olympics article! She said: "It's just human decency, to speak up for what's right when we can, especially because the smart and sensitive and good people of China cannot."

The only thing that living long periods of time in other countries does is create indecisiveness for me. You can no longer side with your home or the place you live now, perpetually in the middle! This is where I'm finding myself. Not an American. Not Chinese. Just trying to make sure I've brought out all the points on each side...rarely able to firmly embrace just one side...but making sure we're at least aware of all of them. (All that to say, just read below for interest, and please post a comment :)

My Olympics 2 Cents

2008-05-08T22:43:00.002-04:00

I debated whether or not I should open my mouth on this issue, as it is overplayed on both sides of the world, but I'm sitting somewhere in the middle, watching what is going on in the U.S., thinking that it couldn't be more foolish. It is actually painful to watch the popular opinion against the Olympics, led by individuals, celebrities, and politicians.

First: Bad things are happening all over the world. Drawing up boycotts against a sports event or publicly held companies is just pointless. Why cause harm to all those people and organizations also? Attack the source, not just easy targets that typically serve as others' enjoyment.

Second: The U.S. is special. We have freedom of speech. One person, not from the government, can have an idea and influence others. Example: Half of this Darfur business started with Mia Farrow...just a celebrity that had some money and a soap box. But she has waged a war against an entire Chinese population that has no freedom like she does to influence their peers and government. Even if they wanted to side with her and promote change, they couldn't. So is it fair to ruin all the good things they had to look forward to in 2008?

Third: Even if the Chinese government is doing something wrong in that situation, aren't we a little hypocritical to think we never did something like that for natural resources? I know it doesn't make it right, but my point is we're not exactly a shining example for the rest of the world, and look awfully fake on top of that soap box.

Fourth: China is a developing country. Developing. That means coming out of poverty. Here you have the world's largest population, finally emerging into the world, but still far from the level of wealth or comfort of the average American. There are serious growing pains, but from their perspective they feel they have the same right to the pursuit of happiness, as Americans like to say. It is easy to stand on a soap box when you already have everything you need, isn't it? You have enough to eat, and the only complaint is that your personal car is costing more to drive these days.

Fifth: This is individualism vs. collectivism. Attacking one's own government in the U.S. is expected. If you are educated, you should have an opinion and be able to critique with the best of them. This is the same and even more intense in Europe. It is expected, people are separate from the government, and you certainly don't hurt to many feelings in the process. If you look at a country like China, however, the government is the people. There is little separation and certainly no open or permitted critique. Thinking and ideology have been fused together over the centuries, so not only can those that are "trouble-makers" not get that far anyway with their individualistic ideas, but the majority that aren't looking for trouble are being slapped in the face every time the country is humiliated in the global scene. My friends and coworkers just look disappointed and defeated sometimes. Every time an Olympic torch issue occurs, or something public like Steven Spielberg stepping out of his Olympic role, it is like every hopeful and excited person in the country is getting another slap in the already swollen face. I've never seen anything like it. So much emotion, expectation, dreams for the future, desires to be a host to the world, and for the first time to prove that they aren't the poor farmers everyone thinks they are. It's moving, really.

I'm not saying either government is right or wrong, it's far too complicated and there are a lot of parties at fault. But before individuals start screaming their opinions and finding their soap boxes, I just hope that we can look at A) How much of that opinion was influenced by for-profit media companies, B) How does that opinion affect other people, and C) Do I hold expectations because I'm from a certain political/economic status, and am holding other people to that standard even though they are not nearly as blessed as me? Am I being fair or just taking the easiest opinion route?

May is Here

2008-05-03T22:04:00.004-04:00

I have been pretty absent on the blog for the last two weeks. Busy-ness plus sporadic internet will do that to you. In mid-April my company rather suddenly bought plane tickets to Jakarta, Indonesia, and I spent two weeks down there in sunny SE Asia. Unfortunately, this was the view most of the time, not the beach...

We gave many sales and technical presentations to Indonesian oil companies, and I eventually learned the language of the Engineers, how to make the presentations, answer their questions, initiate an equipment trial process, etc. It was a valuable experience in terms of sales practice and start-up business in developing countries. The market looks good, and we'll be back and forth quite a bit, so we moved into an apartment after the first week...tired of the hotel. Here's the view of the Jakarta sun setting from our window...not bad!

Now I'm back in Beijing though, and have left my boss down there to continue on. It may be a beautiful place, and the business may be good, but in the end I missed all the people back in Beijing. I'll certainly never be that work-a-holic that can just live without her people!

Congratulations!

2008-04-24T22:49:00.004-04:00

I just had to stick two pictures up here to celebrate two of my best girl friends.

Mrs. Courtney Gwinn had her second little girl, Jane Claire Gwinn on April 19th:

And Mrs. Karen Cronin just told me that she has her very first on the way!

This ultrasound picture might be a little blurrier than the one above, but it's just a peanut right now!

Congratulations to both of you! Life is really amazing- Your families are beautiful and you are blessed!

Being over here in Asia, it is hard sometimes to watch your friends' lives in the U.S. keep going by. But I've realized that there is something special in seeing lives in steps or phases. I really get to appreciate the beauty of their lives because I don't see it or experience it every day like I used to. Now, as opportunities for communications are rarer, I get to experience the big stuff. The marriages, the babies, the birthdays, etc. And there is something so special in watching their lives and joys, even from a distance!

"Can miles truly separate you from friends.... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?" ~Richard Bach

Congrats again girls! Love you both!

April is Going by Too Fast!

2008-04-07T05:55:00.005-04:00

I can't keep up. Work is running a mile a minute and my family members are all getting impatient that I'm not writing blogs twice a week! :) I am getting ready to launch a product trial tomorrow and go to Indonesia later this week, so accept my apologies. There has been a lot of experiences that I need to write about, but a good start is a couple of pictures.

This past weekend was a 3 day weekend due to a Chinese holiday. Saturday I actually drove my boss's car along with two other friends out to hike outside of Beijing. Driving in China isn't as hard as people think. I might even apply for my license one day! This is us standing in front of the "Giant Buddha" at the bottom of the mountain.

And last weekend we celebrated Adrian's birthday! The party was super fun, and a great chance to bring all the friends together in one place. (Bday boy on the right)

Just having fun...

And blowing out candles...

It's time to register for classes back in Columbia, SC right now. We are having a hard time thinking of life back in school in SC, as we have been in Beijing almost 14 months now. But the day has to come eventually! The truth is, we will have fun and learn new things wherever we go, but its amazing how quickly we became attached to Beijing.

Easter Eggs & Karaoke

2008-03-27T02:51:00.007-04:00

After a little push from Aunt Cindy, I realized that no matter how busy one is, the blog must go on!

The job is craziness right now. I went to Shanghai over the weekend to meet two clients. I came back on Sunday morning and we took off again on Monday to drive to Tianjin for the day. Not to mention our main Indonesia client gets to Beijing this weekend. So needless to say, the pace is picking up.

Easter evening we pulled together about 15 friends for dinner. Although we ate Chinese food, I dyed eggs with the stuff Mom sent, so does that count?

And then we played the Romanian egg game from last year again. Strongest egg wins!

Rory actually gave Sarah and I cute little Easter bags with candy!

The next Monday Alex, an MBA classmate that was in Shanghai, was visiting Beijing and insisted we go sing some Karaoke. I love this picture...true Rock-and-Rollers!

The job has picked up considerably and I am doing everything from Marketing to Sales to Financing to Project Management and sometimes getting lost in the process. But it is still a great learning experience, and as you can see, we still find plenty of ways to spend time with the amigos!

Birthday Celebrations

2008-03-11T05:35:00.007-04:00

The birthday week had 3 celebrations, one at girl's night, which you already saw. Then there was one at the office and one at the house. At the office...

They got me a fruit-topped cake...

And made me wear a pointy hat...

And then came the group picture. This is most of the Beijing office:

Then at the house, there aren't great pictures. But here are two friends shots. This is a Thai gal with her Indonesian boyfriend, my classmate last year. Sweetest people you'd ever meet:

And a group of crazies. Can you believe there are 5 IMBAs in this mix?:

All total there were 25-30 people at our "birthday/housewarming" party. I think it was a success, and definitely a fun way to break in the new house!

New Apartment

2008-03-10T05:26:00.005-04:00

After our year lease was up in the apartment near the university, we decided to move close to where are internships are located. Since then, we've had some requests for some pics of the new apartment, so here they are! We are in the heart of the happenin' business disctrict (known as CBD in Beijing). Two blocks off of the largest and most famous street in the city. (The street that crosses through the middle of Tian'An Men Square.) So I walk 15 minutes to work, crossing a bridge over this gigantic road. The black building next to the road on the right is part of the China World Trade Center.
(In the morning on the way to work)

(At night coming home) The right side goes west into the city...always jammed up.

And for the house. This is part of the living room, known as the reading corner :)... TV on right, couch on left:

And from sitting in the reading corner...this is the dining area/hallway. But everything moved to the side getting ready for the birthday party :) (Mom, Dad, notice the birthday flowers you sent me on the chest!)

My room, gotta love IKEA!

And the kitchen, which admittedly, Sarah uses more than me:

That's all. No fancy tour like last time, but you got the picture! :)

The Red Classics Theater

2008-03-05T01:57:00.004-05:00

Long story about how I got there, but me and about 8 Chinese people went to a birthday dinner at this tucked away "Red" theater. It was all songs, uniforms, slogans, etc. from the Mao Zedong era, and if you're unsure who that is, I'm talking about the communist founder of the current People's Republic of China. I was definitely the only blond in the crowd of Chinese, and got some looks, but it was quite the experience. Everyone knew the songs from lessons in elementary school, and had little red flags to waive around with the servers and performers when they were inspired. I'm not going to comment much more, because I'm not sure what my impressions were to be honest. Below is a video of one of the songs, with the servers standing on the chairs involving the crowd. Another interesting "first" for me, that's for sure.

The Cost of Patience

2008-03-04T22:25:00.001-05:00

In the Chinese work environment, especially start-up companies, one needs a great deal of patience. Things seem complicated if you are an American, and many things rely on private connections that are out of your control. So I was discussing this patience with my boss. On-line I read this:

Patience is the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties. It's a learned art that requires discipline. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement, and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.

However, I tend to differ somewhat with the above person's perspective. Maybe it is true in many personal situation, but not always in business. There is often a direct relationship between patience and cost. The more patience required, the more it is costing you in both time and money. The cost of patience is often high, and unmeasured by the calm manager. My reactions in my job have gone through a cycle of cultural adjustment. Reaction A- Objecting. "This is ridiculous! I can't believe we have to do it this way." Reaction B- Embracing or understanding. "Oh, this can make sense, and actually presents a good opportunity that wouldn't exist in the U.S, even though it might be complicated." Reaction C- Merging the two.

As a start-up company in China, you have to sift through the chaos of opportunities and relationships while still being good managers of your resources of time, people and money. The people have to see the light at the end of the tunnel to stay motivated, requiring goal setting, goal achievement and communication. Goals have to be met and money has to be returned with a profit, all which cannot happen if our capacity for patience is unreasonably large. Previously when some of these things haven't happened as they should, and I started to object, I was told that there were cultural differences, and I just had to be patient and let people do things their way. Lately, as I've gained more understanding though, I have been able to communicate these ideas more clearly and now we are meeting somewhere in the middle. Now we work together. I strive to appreciate the new and different ways business can be done in China, that might not follow a strict system. However, I am able to directly push my supervisors to make reasonable goals, communicate them better both up and down the line, and invoke a little impatience to make sure that they get met. Too impatient never got anyone anywhere in China. But I still hold my ground that it is possible to be too patient, because patience can come with a cost that any good investor would not be willing to bear. The challenge: Finding that middle ground.

Not All Work...

2008-03-03T00:56:00.004-05:00

I realized some blogs might be getting too serious and that I should still include some pictures of the fun times in Beijing! Lately I've been feeling like a foreigner because we've been going to a lot of good foreign restaurants and meeting new people. Saturday we had a "Ladies only" night, which was very refreshing, and had a lot of positive energy! Here's 11 gals that showed up for fantastic Indian food! (If you're a Beijinger, I can recommend Mirch Masala in the Houhai area.)

And they surprised me with a couple of the amazing cakes from the company Awfully Chocolate and sang happy birthday, even though my birthday isn't until the 5th!

This is a long table of fellow IMBAs, either in the Chinese track or visiting Beijing in the Global Track program. Believe it or not, we were at a Mexican restaurant! (We were not very good hosts as we chose a good margarita over Peking duck, but they will have other opportunities for that!) There is something so nice about meeting IMBAs, from any graduation year. It just seems like you are meeting more family.

This is Sarah, the classmate and fabulous roommate sampling a margarita with me. We both agreed that night that life in Beijing is bizarre sometimes, because you can go with a table of people from three continents to a Mexican restaurant in Beijing, China to listen to a Filipino band sing American songs. Gotta love it.

Look Them Straight in the Eyes

2008-02-19T00:51:00.002-05:00

Growing up, everyone gets the lessons or the lectures from the parents. Comparably, I would say I received very little advice from my parents than most kids. It seemed to me that their philosophy was to raise children with the right principles and then let them lead their own lives and make their own decisions. Recently one of the principles that I've been reflecting on, and finding so true...is something my Dad used to tell me.

He said, "Always look people straight in the eyes." Never look down, and never look up. It seems like a simple lesson: People are people, and no one is better or worse than anyone else. The first half is that he taught me to never look down on other people for economic, racial, education, nationality or any other reason. Everyone has just as much value as a human being as I do. So the application of that lesson was to smile at everyone, greet everyone, and generally treat them with respect. And the result? You are well-received and liked wherever you go. The service you receive is better, the conversations you have are more genuine, etc. Valuing other human beings is invaluable.

The flip side of the lesson: Never look up at someone like they are unreachable, or better than you, or have the right to treat you like they are. Don't fear a person's power or money so much that you feel they are better than you, you can't be yourself, or can't see them as human. Who knows, it could be just a matter of time before you are in the same place. And the result? Confidence. To say what you think and be who you are, no matter who you are talking to.

I see this lesson at work in my life in China all the time. I can constantly cross boundaries up and down that my Chinese counterparts can't or won't cross. Why do my housekeeper, door guard and waitress all greet me and smile every time I pass, but fall silent when anyone else passes? My Chinese coworkers don't know how I got into the inner circle of 40-something male shareholders of the company. Compared to the coworkers, I wasn't afraid of the hierarchy, the money, or the job. I would joke or chat with them, and always say my opinion on the business whether it was pleasant or not. You can call it American...or Southern...but I call it Brown, because I know it came from my Dad. I might not have noticed it previously in the the U.S., where it is a more common life philosophy, but recently it has been so evident that I was raised differently from most of the people around me in China. And I'm thankful for not knowing those limits when it comes to people.

The Battlefield: Techies vs. Marketers

2008-02-16T03:52:00.005-05:00

In business school we often talked of the inevitable battle between the tech guys and the marketing guys in a company, and the difficulties in managing roles, communication and solutions between the two departments. As I have previously worked in more consulting or retail roles, I am experiencing this for the first time in my internship in an IT company.

Today I was again stunned at the vast gap between our points of view. Something that I felt should be designed simple, targeted and usable for the purpose of the customer's clarity was actually designed very complicated and with so many functions that existed for no other reason than "because we can," or "it's cool though, right?" I both participated and watched today for two and a half hours while 7 people battled it out on a whiteboard, and realized a lot in the process:

A) Things you think are right or obvious are not always so obvious to your coworker. This goes both ways of course. I often couldn't see the week's worth of programming that my 60 second suggestion would create.
B) Therefore you should always be prepared to have both sides list pros and cons of their suggestions.
C) Look at both sides suggestions' effect on sales and the bottom line.
D) Always come prepared with the appropriate market research to back up your opinion. Thinking that you or your group's perspective actually represents the entire target market can be a huge mistake.

The only reason I could shut down one of the arguments today is because I happened to include that question in December's 400-person targeted survey, therefore disproving the assumptions the other side was making about the way they thought the market would react.

After they developed these technologies in R&D phase for 2 years, I am one of the first people brought into the company with a market-driven perspective and it is like trying to turn around a tanker that is on full-speed ahead. However, we are making progress and all of us learning in the process. It's always fun to see business school in action...

Indonesia

2008-02-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

Going to Indonesia for my job was such a learning experience. As if dealing with Chinese-U.S. culture differences isn't enough sometimes, we throw a third into the mix. One of my biggest lessons recently has been the importance of not managing every person or relationship the same. Each person or entity has something different that it values and that motivates them, and must be managed accordingly...learning how to put yourself in their shoes and give them what they want or need to get the job done.

Another interesting phrase and lesson I learned from a successful Chinese friend:
山高不耐寒...meaning something like “The high part of the mountain is not cold-resistant.” Sometimes being at the top isn’t everything. People admire you for the things you do and accomplish, but you yourself might actually realize all the things you’ve sacrificed or lost getting there. In other words, keep your priorities straight. That is one of the fun parts of learning Chinese...you can guarantee that there is a catchy phrase for any idea you want to express.

And finally, last funny but true lesson that my boss shared with me: 熊傻子掰苞米- "The foolish bear grabbing the corn." I loved this story. The bear, in all his excitement, keeps grabbing corn and putting it under his arm. Every time he grabs a new piece and lifts his arm, he drops the one that was already there. He thinks he's accumulating things, but really losing others. Going in too many directions or grabbing at too many opportunities without paying attention to feasibility or value is often a dead end. But at each step, make sure you are adding to the cumulative value of what you already have.

Translated these lessons always sound funny in English. But come from years and years of history in China. It is impossible to ever hear or learn them all, but it sure does make for good conversation :)

A few pics from Bali and Jakarta. This was the beach behind the hotel. The one I didn't get to actually visit because we had too many meetings. Next time...

This was the best meal we had in Indonesia. Coconut roasted seafood, while sitting on the beach of Bali Island. Mmmm

Colorful sailboats...

I was impressed with this bar inside of the pool. You don't even have to get out of the water to get a fruity drink!

The Year of the Rat!

2008-02-07T23:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone! It is now the second day of the year of the Rat in the Lunar calender. The celebration at midnight on New Years Eve was incredible. It was magical to be in Beijing. Fireworks were going off between buildings, in the street, on EVERY city block, and for 24 hours. It is hard to describe the feeling, other than it is special.

This week Chinese spend all the time on a somewhat rigid schedule moving from house to house seeing all the relatives and friends in a certain order. There are all types of traditions as to who to see, what to eat, how to decorate, what to do, etc. I guess trying to explain Christmas would be equally as hard. This week is the Chinese Christmas, where it is mandatory to make the trek home, no matter how far, and to exchange gifts and eat special foods. For me, it is nice to watch from the outside, but I am thankful from a break from work! You can be certain that very few people are at work, just the few Western cafes in the area are open today.

I wish you all prosperity and happiness in the new year!

Video From New Years 08

2008-01-27T10:20:00.001-05:00

I had to stick this video in here, just because it makes me laugh every time I see it. I just came across it in my camera and remembered I had it! We sure did make a lot of noise. This one goes out to all of the crazies that were at my house for New Years 2008 :) I'm still thinking of you from China!

WHIRLWIND

2008-01-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

Sometimes life just picks up the pace.

I found myself coming back from Beijing after Christmas break and being on the ground for all of 24 hours before I was on a plane again. This time to Indonesia. As I was away for Christmas, I could feel the pace of things picking up at work in Beijing as I continued to answer e-mails and work on projects, small and large, for the company that I was previously only a part-time intern for. A week before I returned to Beijing my boss informed me that I would be going with him to Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia. This is officially the first time I will travel internationally for business, but at the moment I’m on the first plane from Beijing to Singapore and it couldn’t feel more bizarre in this Chinese start-up. My job doesn’t have much definition, my boss is flexible, and I end up on projects ranging from marketing to finance and in industries as different as education and oil. Maybe a little overwhelming, but I constantly remind myself of two things that help keep me straight: A) Flexibility is a MUST and B) I’ll survive if I don’t know and understand everything that is going on in the situation.

Flexibility is always something I’ve known was necessary when you are a foreigner in China or just abroad in general, but having to accept the discomfort that comes when you are unprepared and unknowledgeable about a subject you are immersed in, and then finding the fine balance of when to act like you know what is going on and when to admit that you have know clue and ask for help…now that’s all something I haven’t had much experience with in the States. I tend to get myself into stepwise challenges that are more like “calculated risks.” I know how far I will be asked to leap, and I know that I am probably capable of leaping that far.

However, this experience surprises me every day. For example, I found out yesterday (during my one day back in Beijing, that I spent in the office before Indonesia) that I wasn’t just participating, but was expected to LEAD the discussions of two out of the three key products/services we were dealing with in Indonesia. During a meeting where we received some samples, they revealed this to me and told me to listen up- if I didn’t understand the Chinese I was to ask because I was responsible for communicating it all to the customer later. I had to start asking questions like a crazy person because this small company has yet to perfect a system of internal communication and very few people are as informed as they need to be. Well, nothing more to say than it sure is a good experience. I just arrived from Beijing, I’m now sitting in Singapore waiting on the connecting flight to Indonesia talking in Chinese to my Canadian boss, all after being in the US two days ago…and just thinking…isn’t it crazy where life takes us sometimes? And how fast it creeps up on you?

New York VS. Beijing

2008-01-13T14:05:00.000-05:00

I was back in New York last week, and had new impressions after living in Beijing for a year. The landmark retail stores of Manhattan are very cutting-edge and stylish compared to Chinese shopping. I loved walking into each place thinking everyhthing was great, well-designed, or one-of-a-kind. However, there is a trade-off for that design and that is price. Cheap shopping is rare in NY and stores with good taste can be very rare in Beijing.

One of the major impressions that I was left with was that N.Y. is incredibly dirty. It is often a misconception that China is dirty because many cities and especially Beijing, are receiving make-overs in recent years. The subway line I use every day to work was only openned last October! So the dirty streets and subways of NY were quite a surprise.

It was great to hear all of the languages on the streets in NY. Sometimes it seems like no one in NY is originally from the States, and when you are there, you are truly in the Melting Pot. Beijings population is more homogenous, although the foreign population is growing every year.

Buildings take up more space in Beijing, but many skyscrapers are taller in N.Y. There are no bicycle lanes in N.Y. and all the cabs are the same color!

Finally, NY seems to be a cultural and maybe business center of the US. However Beijing is the cultural and governmental center of China. You get a lot of the entertainment that you do in NY, but with more of a Washington DC feel from all of the governmental buildings and employees.

In the end, I think NY entertainment is extensive, but to live a good life it would be unaffordable. At least for now, I'll still take a fast-paced, clean, and cheaper Beijing as my city of choice.

Coming Home

2007-12-31T08:02:00.000-05:00

What was my first impression coming back to the US? Diversity. I never realized how much I appreciated the U.S. for its diverse population. It was neat to go through customs and see white, black and hispanic, male and female customs officers, all stamping passports. That really makes up a lot of what the U.S. is, and it was fun to jump back into the "melting pot" after being away for a year.

I also enjoyed stepping back into Christmas. It finally felt like December when I got home and saw the lights on the house, the trees, pointsettias, garlands, stockings, etc. You don't realize how many little traditions there are in Christmas until you have none of them. In Beijing I found myself wanting to make and frost sugar cookies, or go Christmas tree shopping, or drink eggnog, or light a fire in the fireplace. I certainly got to experience all of that when I got home, so it was worth the trip :)

Most important of all, is the flocks of family members that made it down to Beaufort, SC. From Mom and Dad's side of the family, I saw about 35 folks all somehow related to me. Here is one of my favorite pics, with my Grandfather Ned and every one of his grandchildren:

Beaufort was also so warm that we spend many-a-night around a little fire chatting, eating and just spending time together.

One fun event that occured over Christmas week was the "1st Annual Ned Brown Family Photography Competition and Exhibition." With three professional photographers from the family as judges, everyone else competed over a 7 day period to take the best picture in the categories of Family, Beaufort, or the Christmas Spirit. I won the "Beaufort" category with this shot...don't we live in a beautiful place?

I have a few days left here before I go back to Beijing, and a few more friends to see, but I've done a lot over the couple of weeks and am glad I got the chance to spend Christmas here. As long as I live out of the country, I will probably always make the trek back for this time of year...it's my favorite.

Goodbye Beijing!

2007-12-18T23:33:00.000-05:00

We had a great End-of-the-semester/Birthday/Christmas party at my house on Tuesday. I got a chance to see all of my classmates for the last time and exchange presents. Below is a shot of our class. My teacher is to my right with her little girl in front of her.

And some of the sillier classmates in the group...

Treats were from around the world including Indonesia, Thailand and Korea! No one was shy, all just stood around the table eating and chatting!

Then we did a going-away activity where we wrote notes to each other on a piece of paper taped to the owner's back. It was a fun process and a meaningful piece of paper to keep in the future.

Now I'm off to the U.S. for Christmas, New Years and other festivities. Coming back January 17th. Goodbye Beijing! See you in 2008!

Adidas 2008 China Ad Campaign

2007-12-14T01:37:00.000-05:00

Excuse the MBA in me coming out here, but this blog is about the best ad campaign I have seen in a long time. A big shout-out to a team of 5 creative directors in Shanghai and to Adidas for their 2008 Olympic Games advertising campaign. This was the first set of ads that stopped me in my tracks and made me stare at the wall in the subway. They did an excellent job of combining the excitement of the Olympic games with the passion for the people to come together and show the world what they are made of. The government could not have done a better job to convey the messages of passion, cohesiveness, national pride, and a will to win. It truly conveys and appeals to the "People" of China. The ads take on all forms from TV commercials to still shots in the subway to billboards and installations in the business district. I was moved by the ads, and I am not even Chinese. Incredible effective- the slogan "Impossible is Nothing" has never found a better fit.

I have included three still shots below, or if you want to watch it on Youtube:
(Adidas Ad- Youtube video)

Christmas

2007-12-13T04:14:00.000-05:00

I saw my first Chinese Santa Clause the other day. Way too skinny, wrong accent, no rosey cheeks, and his beard was falling off! Christmas in China is almost comical. Yes, it is commercialized in the U.S., but it still has foundations. Americans know (and some celebrate) the true reason it exists. Others treat it as a time to return home and see family. All the while, of course, spending money and exchanging gifts. But imagine a country that sells Christmas trees and red and green-wrapped presents, and a population that buys them, and no one knows why! They are all at work on the 25th for goodness sake! No one sees their family, it is not celebrated for religious reasons, they don't even exchange presents. I've yet to figure out why anything Christmas-related is sold in a store.

I called my Dad sometime around the 10th of December, and told him that one of the things I was looking forward to the most was walking into a decorated house with the tree, presents, stockings, baked goods, etc. Do you know what his response was? "Oh, well we'll go buy the tree tomorrow!" Haha. Wouldn't you know it, they've all been too busy to put up the tree.

Thanksgiving, the 4th of July and Halloween were all interesting to celebrate in China, even though not quite the same as the US. Christmas, however, has hundreds of tiny little traditions wound into it that you don't realize exist until they are missing. Frosted sugar cookies, hanging garlands, ornaments, egg nog, stockings, yard decorations, singing carols, ribbon everywhere, candy canes, wish lists, musicals, writing cards, seasonal movies, fireplaces and hot chocolate...just a few of the many parts of Christmas that I am looking forward to in the States. Of all the holidays, this would definitely be the hardest to miss.

A couple more pictures never hurt!

2007-12-06T00:57:00.001-05:00

I feel like I've left out a lot of friends recently, so just wanted to post a couple more pictures. This is a group that went for Karaoke in "Korea town" here in Beijing, mostly Thai and Indonesians classmates + one American!

And this adorable Korean gal is one of my cutest classmates. She spent last Saturday afternoon at my house patiently teaching us how to make some Korean dishes :) I can't wait to visit her one day in Korea!

In case you were wondering what would happen if...

2007-12-05T04:29:00.000-05:00

And some of you thought I could never have more Chinese characteristics!

I was testing wigs so that I could surprise everyone with a new haircolor when I came home. Watch out :)

A Walk Through Wal-Mart

2007-11-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

I now work directly across from a Wal-mart in the business district of Beijing. I've only been in one once before in China, so I decided to give it a walk-through yesterday after work.

I get such mixed impressions when I go in there. In the U.S., Wal-mart's identity is "Always low prices." And why? Because everything is manufactured in China. Now what does that mean for Wal-mart stores in China? What is their identity? Prices still seem slightly lower then other stores, but the selection remains enormous compared to the traditional tiny Chinese booth-style stores. Unlike the U.S., the produce section was amazing, filled with everything that you couldn't find in other places. Additionally, there were plenty of cashiers making it one of the only places without a line during rush hour. They also still embrace the idea of having everything including the kitchen sink in inventory, just with a Chinese flavor. Here, that "everything" includes hundreds of kinds of tofu, animal parts that you don't recognize, or even a good wine selection for the foreigners.

What are my feelings on the whole thing? I'd go again. I still don't like the enormous inconvenient size, but I love the selection, no check-out lines and the crazy culture clash feeling I get when I go through the door...and as an MBA, I will always admire the company's ability to do what they do on such a large scale. It's quite the machine.

A Beijing Thanksgiving! 在北京的感恩节.

2007-11-22T22:21:00.000-05:00

10 Things I learned celebrating Thanksgiving 2007 in Beijing:

1) Thanksgiving is a tremendous challenge without an oven.

2) Chinese produce is not what you think, and definitely not the same as the U.S. (i.e. what you think is a sweet potato is actually just another type of orange root)

3) Ordering a turkey was a great idea! May even be better than most we have eaten in the U.S.

4) Toaster ovens can hold up for 12 hours of continuous usage, we only had 1 knob fall off.

*5) The Chinese people have a hard time with "TH" so it comes out as "S." Combined with a bad vowel pronunciation, this effectively becomes "Happy Sexgiving Day" instead of "Happy Thanksgiving Day." This was a point of continuous laughter throughout the party for all cultures involved. When my best Chinese friend said it, I laughed for about five minutes, gained composure, translated what happened, and the Chinese laughed for another five minutes.

6) Wine is key. We went through about a bottle per person between 6pm and midnight.

7) Huge advantage: having your housekeeper scheduled to come the next day. Thank goodness we're in China!

8) Introducing other nationalities to the traditions is half the fun. This year we had Americans, 7 Chinese, a German, 2 French, 2 Mexican, and a Romanian.

9) It is incredibly hard to translate the story of Thanksgiving in other languages. Try saying "pilgrims" or "American Indians" or "Mayflower" in Chinese. You won't find the words!

10) There is nothing better than filling an extended table with 17 of your best friends, holding hands, saying a prayer of thanks, and then having a nice, sit-down dinner followed by talking and laughing till you can't keep your eyes open anymore.

(Notice the sign overhead that says "Happy Turkey Day")

(Only a small part of the feast)

Big City, Small World 大的城市,小的世界

2007-11-10T23:49:00.000-05:00

Every now and then in Beijing you get the opportunity to bump into people from your school, state or hometown and talk about things like relatives you know, friends you have in common, your favorite places back home, etc.
I tracked down a group from the S.C. Chamber of Commerce that came to China to explore the export market for S.C. companies. I had the opportunity to join them for the ever-popular Beijing duck dinner with the group and their hosts from the U.S. embassy and other organizations here in Beijing. It was exciting to hear about the successful meetings and events that had gone on during their travels in China, everyone seeming optimistic about US- and SC-China relations.
It was also great to meet so many people that knew my family in Beaufort or Aiken, had graduated from my program at USC, or just had authentic Southern accents! (You don't here those in Beijing very often and start to miss them.)

This is a shot of the group crammed in around the tables. Go SC!

Halloween, Midterms, Jobs, oh my!

2007-11-05T06:13:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I've ever gone more than two weeks without updating the blog. Just goes to show how busy it's gotten here in Beijing. In the world of study, we just finished midterms. Turns out it is incredibly hard to study just language for two semesters. We're all wearing down in our motivation.

In the world of funner things, the last two weeks have seen three birthday parties and two Halloween parties. Who would've thought you could celebrate Halloween in China. Turns out you can...here's how the MBAs chose to live it up:

No comments about the devil horns please...I ran out of time and had to borrow them at the last minute from a roommate in order to have something to wear!

In the more serious world, it looks like I've secured not only an internship, but a full time job as a Marketing Director for a start-up internet and software firm looking to launch at the end of the year. Talk about hitting the ground running! I started the job presenting a preliminary marketing strategy to an all Chinese-speaking staff on the first day of school midterms...and it has been crazy ever since. On the good side, I'm incredibly challenged and have an enormous amount of responsibility. On the risky side, this is a new business with sound technology that has yet to go live online, so who knows what will happen. In the end, I'm thankful for the opportunity, busier than ever, and willing to take the risk.

Skills Exchange Website 换技能的网站

2007-10-22T06:55:00.000-04:00

I recently made a discovery. China has all kinds of cool websites connecting you to whatever you need. You can find websites that connect people looking for carpools, tutors, social/work connections or "Guanxi," and even skills exchanges. I thought this was an interesting idea, so I checked it out. As it turns out, English is the most requested skill- surprise, surprise. Other listed skills are physical training, software, typing, foreign language, music lessons, cooking, etc. I decided to post an ad exchanging English tutoring for lessons in Chinese cooking. I can't come back in 18 months without being able to cook, right?

I ended up removing it in only 5 hours because there were so many requests. Apparently listing that I was American made everyone jump for the English. I set up two meetings, met four people, and turned down a bunch of others. So far so good. And what a great idea! Here's a pic with some of the folks and the food. One day I met two guys, and the other day I met two girls.

Both times I pulled in other friends and we had 4-5 people eating together. I wish we could do this type of thing in the States, but no one would trust each other enough to meet strangers like this in a big city. Just shows how safe China is...

One last picture- I have the most adorable Korean classmates. They took me out the other night for Korean BBQ. We sat outside on tiny little stools and cooked the meat over coals. VERY yummy, and very good company.

Paintball in China! 在中国的油漆球！

2007-10-14T07:38:00.000-04:00

Yes, ladies and gents, you can even play Paintball in China. A little American-run operation out of the back of a jeep and viola!- you're in the game. It was a mixed group of friends, some professionals and some first-timers. I was a first-timer, but that didn't stop me from volunteering to being a terminator during one round. This is the oh-so-tough group starting out.

This was the hardest hit I took to the neck, but I took out many soldiers before I died that round...

The only three brave girls. Surprisingly, the Mexican chica on the right was the best of all. Her sniper positions and skills took everyone by surprise! She was the last one off of the field most of the time, lasting long after everyone else came dragging in.

I highly recommend a good round of Paintball if you've never tried. I can't believe my first experience with it was in Beijing, of all places. We had such a good time, that I'm sure there is more to come...

"Thank you" as an insult? "谢谢"是侮辱吗?

2007-10-08T06:44:00.000-04:00

From the time I was little I have memories of my father listening to my phone conversations with adults and hollering in the background, "I better hear you saying 'Yes Mam, No Sir, Please and Thank you!'" Polite words were ingrained in me partly because that is how English is used, and partly because I grew up surrounded by "Southern Hospitality."

This part of my culture is something I have been made very aware of here in China, and not in such a good way. Oddly enough, I have had to unravel some of that training so as not to offend my friends. I called a good friend of mine later on in the evening to thank him for dinner and say that I had a really good time, just wanting him to know that I appreciated it. He asked me why I called and said what I was doing was wrong in China. Apparently by expressing gratitude I was saying that I didn't think much of our friendship but considered him more of an acquaintance that I should use polite words with. True friends feel that these polite words show you are keeping track of giving and receiving and should only be used with new acquaintances and more formal situations. Again last night a different friend invited me to eat dinner sometime this week and I wrongly replied to the invite with a thank-you. In both situations I'm glad that they were good friends understanding a cultural difference and helping me prevent offending people in the future.

Finally, I realized that this is very evident in the language alone. Look at the English "You're Welcome." It seems like you should be thanking me, and I'm telling you that you are welcome to whatever I did for you. In Chinese, "Thank you, 谢谢" is followed by "Don't be so polite, 别客气!" Meaning you should not have thanked me, but I should have done what I did. There's a lot of culture wrapped up in little words sometimes...

October Holiday 国庆节

2007-10-06T01:04:00.000-04:00

October 1st was the 58th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Most of China took a week off of work and school and a good 10-15% of the population will travel during the week. A friend and I made a mistake of going to the Wangfujing pedestrian area and Tian'anmen square to walk around and check things out. Easier said than done. This is a picture from the street, turns out walking wasn't so easy. It felt like 1B of the 1.3B Chinese population were in the same city as us.

Tian'anmen was decorated with fresh flower models of landmarks like the Great Wall, the Olympic torch and the Temple of Heaven. Guards were also in formation and very numerous. My favorite was a group of soldiers jogging and the drill instructor stops and answers his cell phone. "WEI!? I'm jogging in formation now!" I nearly doubled over laughing, but answering a cell phone here has a much better connotation than it does in the States. It gives you "face," makes you seem important, so people often answer them in the middle of important meetings and at the dinner table. Takes some getting used to.

Because I didn't travel during the week, Beijing has been slow, relaxing and a lot of getting together with friends for dinner parties, karaoke, etc. I think we managed to fit about 35 people in our apartment Saturday. We had a get-together at our house where a lot of our friends brought a dish, a sort of international pot-luck. The door guards only came by twice to tell us we were being to loud. We don't really have a relationship with our neighbors because everyone keeps to themselves, but if we did, it probably wouldn't be doing to well. Well, it's back to hard labor on Monday. Time to do some studying!

Less Words, More Culture. 字越来越少，文化越来越大

2007-09-22T21:24:00.000-04:00

I have an incredible Chinese culture professor. He's an older gentleman that has taught for more than 20 years and is full of stories about China's past and his own experiences. We were talking about how complicated the Chinese language is because each character, word or phrase can be tied to a long line of history or customs and possibly an entire story behind it. He said Chinese is very different from English in that the less words your can use to express yourself, the more culture you are thought to have. (字越来越少，文化越来越大) By these standards, my blog would definitely be marked as the work of an uneducated peasant! I like this unique part of Chinese, because English seems to be a race to use the longest, flowery sentences with the largest vocabulary words in the dictionary. Chinese has books full of idioms (成语）that are four characters but take paragraphs to explain in English. Mastering these is nearly impossible, but learn to use a few and you can certainly impress some locals!

I also have a truly wonderful set of classmates this semester. The class is more lively and willing to get together for fun than last semester. Friday we celebrated an Indonesian classmate's birthday at his house with homemade Indonesian and Thai food.

And Saturday I spent the afternoon at a Chinese family's house chatting about everything under the sun and learning how to make 饺子，or Chinese dumplings. I met their daughter on the plane coming to Beijing in February and have been in touch ever since. They were so sweet that I will have to go see them again!

And a new semester begins...又开学了!

2007-09-18T08:39:00.000-04:00

It is time to get back in the mindset of school again. No more spending my time with part-time slang/conversation classes, meeting friends every night, traveling sporadically, etc. At the moment I have class from 8-11:30 and again from 3:30-5:30. That's a lot of Chinese. But I have a newspaper-reading class, and international business class, a slang class, a business writing class (first assignment: translate my resume), and a Chinese culture class. Very well rounded and enough Chinese to make you dizzy.

In other news, I sometimes teach Koreans and Chinese English for spare Yuan. Boring, but true. Weekends in Beijing are so much fun that I will miss them dearly when I leave. Still doing acupuncture a few times a week, only God knows if it actually has results. And it's time to get the internship search rolling. I will be doing more research and making contacts in the next few weeks, in hopes to have something tied down before I come home for Christmas. End of life summary.

Lastly, thought I'd share a couple photos. Went with a friend Chi to a gorge outside of Beijing.

Sang Karaoke again, and I'm little embarrassed to say that I really had a blast this time!

This is what a rock stage looks like in Beijing before the lights go down. I went one day to the Beijing Pop Music Festival and had a great time watching the young punk Chinese crowd.

And then it was Elsie's birthday. We all got carried away with this pink wig, wearing it on and off. As if the Chinese don't have enough to stare at already!

The group that went bowling for the birthday...

And myself..always unable to turn down a crown!

Sichuan 5 and Final! Chengdu- The Capital City. 成都，四川

2007-09-03T23:38:00.000-04:00

This is the last entry about my vacation...I will revert back to Beijing soon. I started and ended the trip in the capital of Sichuan, Chengdu. It is a pleasant city with a slow pace to it. I especially enjoyed the parks with the older people playing cards, chess and drinking tea all day long. Here are some of the highlights of the city...

Pandas- just around 1000 left in the world and most of them are from Sichuan, China! I went to the breeding reservation and even saw the hairless babies!

Sichuan Opera- it was a variety of plays, singing, face changing, acrobatics, fireblowing and instruments. Very cool!

The friend I stayed with while I was in Chengdu!

Let the locals order, and you never know what you are going to get! These are rabbit heads. (Sorry vegetarians)

Famous spicy roasted fish. Enough peppers to set your mouth on fire! But that is what this whole province is famous for.

A video of us on the first afternoon in the pouring rain riding a rickshaw. The two umbrellas proved useless and we showed up dripping. The rickshaw didn't even want money from us because we looked so pitiful!

Sichuan 4- The village of Songpan 松潘，四川

2007-09-03T22:48:00.001-04:00

Different from the National Parks I went to, Songpan was a relaxing village with its colorful minorities and slow pace of life as its best assets. Settled in a mountain valley, most people went to stay there because it is inexpensive and in a central location for seeing other parks or going on a horse trek. I enjoyed meeting the locals, seeing all the animals wander around the street, and hanging out at the hostel.

This was a wedding that I watched...each friend presented the couple with a white scarf and put it around their neck to bind them together...

Being very close to Tibet, dried yak meat and yak butter tea are favorites in the area!

All of the older people sit around and talk all day if they are not playing Chinese chess, wearing straw hats to keep the sun out.

This charming man sat next to me on a bench because he was curious. He wanted to talk to me and see what I was writing in my notebook. We stumbled through the local dialect, but understood each other, and he agreed to a portrait!

Chinese chess. Rules vary according to the province, but very similar to Western chess.

Minority women also watching the wedding.

The streets don't just belong to cars, but to a whole host of animals. There is some patience and a lot of honking.

Sichuan 3 - Munigou Park 牟尼沟，四川

2007-09-02T06:23:00.000-04:00

The third and final National Park I went to was Munigou. The least known, and only a couple hours of a hike, but it was still relaxing and beautiful. There were probably 10-15 other people in the entire park, which was such a relief after the last two places I mentioned. The water was again beautiful, and somewhat reminiscent of Jiuzhaigou. Just look at the fallen trees underneath the water!! (And I promise I did nothing to the picture to enhance that intense color!)

This is me with the three Beijingers that I went with! Although we met by accident we live within a couple of blocks of each other in the big city.

At the top of the mountain we got to rest, have a picnic, and put our feet in natural hotsprings!

On the way out of the park, we saw two Tibetans herding yak across the road. As I videoed it, he thought I might scare the yak and actually spit at me! He didn't speak Mandarin and I didn't speak Tibetan, but I'm not sure I liked his methods...

On the other hand, we met these two very nice locals that lived in the village nearby. We stopped to take pictures and they were naturally curious. We stumbled through Mandarin/Sichuanese, but we got our point across!

Sichuan 2- Huanglong National Park 黄龙，四川

2007-09-02T06:03:00.000-04:00

On the way from Jiuzhaigou I met three people from Beijing who were looking for a person to add to their rented car and share the costs. Perfect! I spent two days traveling with them and speaking Chinese nonstop. One of the places we went was a national park called Huanglong or "Yellow Dragon." It is called a yellow dragon because calcified pools have formed all the way down the mountain, making what appears to be the scales on a dragon's tale. The scenery was completely different from Jiuzhaigou and also breathtaking!

The water came in all shapes and colors! Just look at the difference in colors in these two pictures:

Finally, as we were driving back to the village, we were stuck behind a large mountain that trapped air and made the whole area foggy. In 15 seconds, we rounded a corner and were suddenly in a different world overlooking these mountains. It was so sudden and beautiful that I had to remind myself to breathe. We got out of the car and played on the mountain tops like a scene from Pride and Prejudice! If you've been in Beijing for a while, this is just what you need.

Sichuan 1 - Jiuzhaigou National Park, 九寨沟，四川

2007-09-02T05:30:00.000-04:00

I'm back from my 11 night adventure away from Beijing! I went by myself to Sichuan province and saw the capital, Chengdu, a village called Songpan, and three national parks. I'm not doing this in order, but I had to start with my favorite- Jiuzhaigou. This park might be the most beautiful national park I've ever seen. It has everything- mountains, waterfalls, turquoise water, Tibetan villages, ancient forests, etc. As I hiked around the trails, scenes like this kept popping up...

As you can see, the water is all different shades of blue and green, and the fallen trees and stones beneath the surface are all visible. The Chinese have a saying that says once you've been to Huangshan you needn't see anymore mountains, and once you've been to Jiuzhaigou, you needn't see anymore water. At this point in my life, I'd agree, because I haven't seen more beautiful water! And with mountains and water, comes beautiful waterfalls...

The Tibetan minority and culture is spread throughout Northern Sichuan and the park. I met the Tibetan woman on the left who actually took me to her house in a village in the park and introduced me to her family! The boy in the middle is a friend I made on the bus on the way from Chengdu.

A few other interesting characters I met- (And Americans think they know what a cowboy is! Try riding a yak while shirtless with a wooden saddle!)

Of all the great places I went, this was my favorite, and my recommendation if you are going to Sichuan 四川!

Sichuan Province!

2007-08-19T07:08:00.000-04:00

Whenever I go for more than a week without writing it feels like something is missing! The past couple of weeks I've been taking classes here in a small private school, mainly a colloquial conversational Chinese class. Besides school I've been meeting new Chinese friends and practicing the language a lot. It seems as if I've finally broken a barrier where I've made one or two good Chinese friends that have begun to introduce me to more and more of their friends. It took a long time to get here, and a lot of language study, but it feels good to have reached it. I can now say my friends group is half/half foreigners and Chinese.

We have to start back classes at the University of Business and Economics here in Beijing in two weeks. Since I have only seen Shanghai during the entire summer break, I have decided to take off to Sichuan province for an pre-school starting adventure. Here's where it is in the middle of China:

Famous for Giant Pandas, the spiciest food in China, and the most beautiful ladies. I will be staying with a Chinese woman, the friend of a friend, while I'm in the capital, and then travel a little. Look for lots of good blogs to come!

I thought since I've had a lack of blogs, I'd throw in a few pictures of new friends!

Talk to you soon from Sichuan!

Bird and Flower Market

2007-08-05T22:20:00.000-04:00

I went with a Chinese friend yesterday to what is called the Bird and Flower Market, but is actually more like an "everything that's living" market. You could buy fish, birds, dogs, turtles, fighter crickets, snakes, kites, antiques, pipes, etc. I really enjoyed it because there was not a foreigner in sight except for me, and it felt so real compared to some of the other places in Beijing. I just wanted to share some of the fun pictures.

They had every type of bird imaginable, some with their own cages and others crammed like pigeons on a phone wire.

I loved this little old woman selling her fake antiques.

This man was selling crickets that you feed to other pets. One cricket per little wooden cage.

And these people sold more expensive, fighter crickets, that people bet on and fight in little underground arenas.

I highly recommend a trip to Southeast Beijing to see this little market. Any pet or accessory you need, it will be there.

Beijing Bowling.

2007-08-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

That's right. We went bowling in China. It was the largest bowling alley I've ever been in, called Gongti 100, and we felt like we were not actually in China for the moment. We got to wear the funny looking shoes, give dorky cheers when someone got a strike, and then go dancing next door when we were done! A great night...but everyone has decided that we need to organize paint ball in the Beijing suburbs for the next adventure. Oh, and I even bowled FIVE strikes during the second game. Three in a row. I never had that kind of luck in the States!

Visitors to Beijing!

2007-08-04T03:24:00.000-04:00

Right after I got back from Shanghai it was visitor time! Alex (IMBA) visited before going back to his internship, David (another IMBA) came with two friends, and then the following weekend Shaun (another IMBA) showed up for a few days. What a blast. We did a lot of stuff, and had a full house most of the time. At one point our apartment slept 6 people! Here's just a few shots of the fun and games...

Taking our guests out to our favorite restaurant in Beijing, owned by the Japanese woman in the middle! Excellent food, fabulous owner, perfect service, and always more free lunch coupons! What more could you ask for?

4 IMBAs posing with the Kung Fu actors...

All the boys around the table for a very elaborate brunch at our apartment...

Being a tourist with Shaun at the Temple of Heaven...

Karaoke Time!
We bravely took our guests for Karaoke with some Chinese friends of ours, to get their feet wet with a little Chinese culture. They had a great time, I hope. At least it looks that way from the pictures!

Me with Zhang Yi...a great language partner and friend!

Some people had to clap for themselves because no one else would....

One last silly shot...what's wrong with those people?

Any and all are welcome to come to Beijing! At least while we still have a plush apartment and an air mattress :-)

Shanghai!!!

2007-07-24T09:20:00.000-04:00

I had my first chance this past weekend to see the "Paris of the Orient," with none other than five days at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Shanghai. I owe it to Alex, who was sent there by his internship and graciously offered to share! I will probably never see Shanghai in such luxury again.

The Ritz was located in a posh area with Starbucks, Gucci, LV, etc. One of my favorite things I got to see there was the first five minutes after I arrived. Take a look at this picture...and notice the Buddhist monks sipping their 30RMB coffee! Doesn't this explain the contradictions of a developing country better than anything else?

I spent the days getting up late, eating a fabulous breakfast, and then walking for hours around various districts including the Pudong area, the French concession, and People's square. The modern, clustered skyscrapers are really something to admire as well as the pedestrian walkways on the Bund, next to the Huangpu river. These are a few of the sites...including the famous Oriental Pearl TV tower, some buildings on the Pudong side of the river, and the dumpling basket-shaped Shanghai museum.

In that second shot I was on the 88th floor of the Hyatt, which used to be the tallest building in Shanghai until they started construction on a much higher one next-door in order to outdo the new building in Dubai.

Night was a good time to get together with people we knew in Shanghai, and do stuff like massages and cocktails! I got together twice with an old classmate from Clemson, who also majored in Chinese and International Trade and now works in Shanghai. This is us the first night out at dinner.

This is Alex getting walked on during one of the massages:

And this is me with an espresso martini in Cloud 9, the highest bar in the world!

Finally, this is a tiny video of the scenery as I am walking along the Bund at night:

All-in-all, the shopping is better in Shanghai, although a little more expensive than Beijing. Other than that, for people coming to China for the first time, there is much more to see in Beijing. Shanghai seems less Chinese, very business oriented, and the language is hard to understand for those of us learning standard Mandarin. Compared with Beijing, there were very few bicycles, traffic moved a little faster, and the subway system was very developed. I have been asked repeatedly which city is better, and there is clearly no answer to that. Depends on your goals in China. Want to learn Chinese and experience more of the Chinese culture? You better head to Beijing. Want a more comfortable, more expensive expat life with more foreign goods and culture available to you? Head to Shanghai. For the time, I'm in the right place. We shall see where the internship takes me.

Laying Fiber-Optic Cable

2007-07-24T09:05:00.000-04:00

Sarah and I had the best time on the way home one day speaking with a bunch of people from the Beijing electric company. They were laying cable for a future skyscraper next door, and most everyone was from Inner Mongolia. At first I was embarrassed to take their picture while they were working so hard, but it turned out that they soaked up the attention more than anyone else. They stopped spinning the giant wheel and told everyone to smile!

My favorite part was peering down into this man-hole and hearing everyone saying "Yi, Er, Zou!" meaning "One, two, walk!" Between heaves they all looked up and talked to us, welcoming us to come to Inner Mongolia. What nice people. Just when you think that you shouldn't stop and disturb, you meet some to the nicest, most open people.

The end of the semester and Courtney's BBQ

2007-07-24T08:38:00.000-04:00

So I am behind in blogs. I'm sorry! A lot has happened..so I will try to catch up chronologically. The end of the semester was bittersweet because exams were over but we had to say goodbye to those friends that would not do the next semester here in Beijing.

This was our last class get-together. These are my teachers and classmates plus a few guests!

We said goodbye to Courtney with a cook-out at his Uncle's house in a swanky expat section of Beijing. We had a real grill, a real oven, and real cupcakes. Unimaginable! Here are some of us enjoying the spread. His Korean classmates also made some treats, the French provided beverages, the Germans provided pastries, and the Americans provided the meat. :-)

The cupcakes were made by yours truly, and they were so good that Prunelle got a little rowdy and had to smear some icing.

We will miss you Courtney! I hope to see you in England!

Spoiled in a whole new way.

2007-07-06T21:40:00.000-04:00

When trying to discuss the differences between our U.S. and China lifestyles, I like the way Sarah said it- "We are spoiled in a whole new way in China." When asked to decide which life I like better, it is impossible to say. Each one has its own comforts and high points. We are spoiled in the U.S. with comfort, English, air conditioning, personal cars, rules and laws that are respected, cleaner air, less governmental corruption, etc. However, as expatriates in China, we are able to live lives above the level we could experience in the U.S. on the same budget. "Student" budgets are tight in the States, with the ever-so-familiar cheap apartment, cheap food, limited travel abilities, etc.

Here in China I do things that I could not dream of in the States, like going to acupuncture 3 times a week, having clothes made at the tailor, getting pedicures and manicures at the same time, eating out once or twice a day in restaurants, having a maid come to the apartment once a week, etc. My acupuncture sessions cost about $7.60 per hour, and the biggest Chinese meals are never over $2.50, and a housekeeper is $1.25/hour. All of that together doesn't even come to the cost of one dinner in the States. Of course, we trade this nicer personal lifestyle for the larger external environment that comes with a developing economy. It is less stable, more complicated, but intensely stimulating. There's the answer: who knows. I've been asked repeatedly what I think is better, and of course that answer depends on your personality and preference, but I think it is safe to say that I am comfortable in both for the time being. We are already discussing the reverse culture shock that will occur next year when we have to move back to a student lifestyle in South Carolina!

The 4th at Hardrock!

2007-07-06T21:28:00.000-04:00

I decided that we needed to get a group together and be very American on Wednesday night to celebrate the 4th of July. Fortunately, there were about 8 others that agreed to go to Beijing's Hardrock Cafe with me. This was most of the group:

There was live music from an English-speaking Filipino band that was actually very good. When you get down to it, the food isn't so great for the relative price. We spent about $25 a piece on appetizer, drinks, food, dessert. In Chinese terms, that's unheard of for most people. It was my first burger in about 6 months, and definitely the best dessert in that time! This is Malte and I addressing the hot fudge brownie sundae. (Something I never thought could be eaten in China..but we found it.) It is dangerous...something that should remain a treat for once every 6 months!

Happy 4th everyone! Leave me a comment and tell me what you did to celebrate! There were no fireworks here because of rain, but we still had a blast celebrating.

The first celebration for the 4th of July

2007-07-02T06:51:00.000-04:00

The American Chamber of Commerce put on an event here in Beijing for a few hundred people last Saturday. The whole thing was interesting. It would have been wonderful without the constant, heavy rain. It was in a resort outside of the city with live music, fireworks, and entertainment, almost all of which was cancelled because of the rain. The funny things was that they called it "Red, White, and BBQ" and got our hopes up for a real American cookout...but this is what they served:

That's right! You are looking at McDonalds and Budweiser. Unfortunately, the only cuisine connected with the U.S. in China is McDonalds...and that even goes for the American Chamber of Commerce! At least we got a chance to dress up in tacky red white and blue outfits and wave some flags around! These kids were particularly patriotic and cute:

No need to worry, we have something of our own planned for Wednesday the 4th...we need to do this thing right!

Restaurants Galore!

2007-06-25T22:44:00.000-04:00

The thing about Beijing and most large cities is that there is a plethora of restaurants to chose from- upscale, homey, chic, cheesy, whatever you want. We often use weekends as a chance to explore different places. This Friday we went with two of our fellow USC alumni that live here in Beijing to Haiku, a classy Japanese restaurant and lounge bar opened by another Moore alumni and his partners. The sushi bar was circular and blue and produced some of the best sushi I've ever had!

This was the group that went that night:

Saturday night I went with my class for a going-away party to visit a Thai restaurant that seemed to resemble Disney Thai, although our Thai classmate said that food was actually authentic. The singing, dancing and games made dinner quite the entertainment process. This is a video of the waitresses dancing next to the table!

This is me with the class and some French friends:

These are some of the girls from class and my teacher sitting at my left. Yes, she is only 25, so she looks like one of us!

All in all, we have visited quite a few places but still have an extensive wish-list...there are too many magazine restaurant critiques to keep up with! Definitely go to Haiku for the food and atmosphere if you get the chance, and Banana Leaf if you are just looking for entertainment!

Mmm...Pollution.

2007-06-21T04:12:00.000-04:00

If Seattle has the worst suicide rate in the U.S. because of the weather, it really makes we worry for China. Although we have some beautiful blue skies around here sometimes, weeks like this make them hard to remember. It is a cross between humidity and smog, leaving very low visibility. Lots of people wear masks on the street in hopes to avoid some of the bad air.

This was on today's CNN page, I found it interesting if you want to take a look:
href="http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/06/20/china.climate.ap/index.html"

Turns out China has surpassed the U.S. as the world's worst polluter, by 8%, but promises to have it cleaned up by the Olympics. We can only hope. This stems from a a couple of decades of promoting fast development at all costs. It is only in recent years that the people and politicians are seeing the costs they have created and the amount of attention it stirs up in the international arena. There will always be an positive and negative side to everything. Measures will be put in place to protect the environment, as the once rock-bottom cost of doing business in China- the main attraction to investors- begins to increase in the form of regulations compliance, taxes, etc.

A Learning Experience

2007-06-18T01:52:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I went on a sudo-business trip. I thought I was going to check out a trade show, but the situation turned out to be much more complicated. I don't want to mention the people or place I was in, but we were misrepresented as American investors to a province seeking to stimulate its economy. I was told not to say I was a student or give them my business card with my school name. We met with governors, mayors, entrepreneurs with business plans, etc. The meals were lavish, the rooms were decorated presidentially, we had one translator per person, a TV channel following us around, and I could not have felt more uncomfortable. My feeling is that the middlemen were actually at fault. They lied to their superiors telling them that we were investors, and then the superiors lied to all of the hopeful business start-ups telling them that we were an opportunity. After the first day, however, I found a way to sneak out of it with Adrian and we got a little touring done instead. You can imagine that I learned a lot, but it was also one of the most stressful things I have done since I have been here. Here are a few of the key points that I took away from it all though:

1) China is impossible to navigate without flexibility. Key phrase of this weekend was "Go with the flow." The difference between people that have lived here for some time and those that have never really sunk their teeth into the culture is painfully obvious. It is the difference between an understanding, smooth attitude and a complaining, argumentative one.

2) Things are not what they seem. Situations, things, people, all need more investigation than they do in the States. It comes from a combination of indirect communication, saving face, collectivism, and thousands of years of history. There is less respect for directness, "putting your cards on the table," or using an external system instead of a network of friends to get something done. So as a Westerner, my goal is to sift through all of these layers and figure out what it is I am looking at, and respond appropriately. Easier said than done.

3) The concept of "face" (gaining it, saving it, and losing it) is extremely powerful and increases in importance as you move up the chain of command. The higher the status or position of a person, the more face plays a role in every move that is made. Dealing with government officials on this trip was sometimes very frustrating because things are sometimes done in the hidden name of "face" and nothing else. As an American, if I don't see any mutually beneficial outcome or productive result, I just assume not do it. Here, again, is where flexibility comes in.

And just for fun, a few of our playing pictures! We took a boat ride to wander around an island for an afternoon, and this was the coastline of the city:

On the island, there were deer that we bought food to feed!

One night we saw an amazing song/dance show put on by hundreds of people. This type of thing would never happen in the States, as one dance company could not afford to pay 400 people, but China pulls out all the cards to impress. It just makes me wonder, WHAT will happen for the long-awaited opening ceremony of the Olympics?

Don't tell Mom!

2007-06-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

Right. So I can't explain how this picture got into City Weekend's Beijing 2007 Bar and Restaurant Guide, under the night-life section...but here we are on the front page with an article entitled "Party Animals." That night we were dancing to 80's music while a photographer with a huge camera was poking around. There are three of us from USC, another American, and three French friends in the picture...all classmates of ours. Little did we know that we would discover ourselves a month later in one of Beijing's most popular expatriate reads, under such an inaccurate title! :-)

Chinese Karaoke...a first time for everything!

2007-06-11T03:38:00.000-04:00

Last week was the first karaoke experience at KTV Party World. The place is a mansion with a free buffet, marble walls and floors, chandeliers, and waitors everywhere. It is definitely not the shady bar experience we think of in the states. If it is to be the favorite past-time of an entire country, it must be done right!

The individual rooms are rented out with all the equipment including large TVs, leather couches, computer control system, microphones, tambourines, etc. All embarrassment must be left at the door and you sing as loud as you can because you certainly can't hear yourself! This is Sarah and I doing our rendition of "I Love Rock and Roll."

And Adrian and Jean get into it with maracas!

This isn't a great video (blame Adrian) but at least you can look around the room. Be happy I didn't post the video of us singing "We are the Champions!" The two Chinese guys are Jay and Jason, friends of ours. Altogether we were about 4 foreigners and 7 Chinese. What a night! Beware...if you come visit....you might just have to hold a microphone!

Defining Futures...

2007-06-02T22:32:00.000-04:00

Our adviser from USC has been in Beijing over the weekend to meet with various Chinese universities, students and alumni throughout China. Friday night we had a dinner with everyone from alumni to prospective students and met a lot of interesting people. The Moore School has a greater presence in China than I would have imagined. Some alumni are VP of companies like Sony or Apple, while others are opening restaurants, managing information systems, doing marketing consulting, etc. It was an inspiring experience that also left everyone wondering...which path do I chose? We were given this diagram back in the U.S. to outline different specialties and organizational structures we might want to work under. However, this is only the beginning of the decision making!

Our lunch and private meetings with the adviser brought more hours of discussion. Which functional specialty? Large multinational or local Chinese company? What location? What industry? How to start deciding and looking? These are all things that we are hammering out these days as we try to keep our minds on the goal and the MBA and not get caught up in the relative ease of our daily language study. After three months of break-time and fun it is interesting to watch how everyone has shifted into a search for productivity. We are searching out ways, whether it be part-time jobs, volunteer work, etc. to utilize our skills and create results. I have gone ahead and paid my deposit for next semester at the University of International Business and Economics, which means I will continue to study language there until December, but I did so knowing that it will have to be accompanied by business classes in Chinese, private tutoring, or a part-time job. One step at a time...but I will keep you updated with the plans for the next 15 months as they unfold.

Chinese Modern Art

2007-05-27T01:54:00.000-04:00

Last week was a class field trip to the 798 Art district here in Beijing. It is an extensive factory built in 1952 to make weapons that has been turned into galleries, lofts for artists, cafes, etc. I went with most of the folks from my class, some of us are in the picture below. We are French, American, Peruvian, Indonesian, German, Korean and Vietnamese.

The theme of contradictions was particularly strong throughout the entire trip. Artists who's ideas had been repressed during the era when this factory was operational were now almost overly expressive in their artwork. I enjoyed this scene in the picture. The red words overhead approximately say, "Make the factory a school for Mao Zedong's Ideology." Below the fading slogan are two designers on imported iMac computers busy at work. hmm..

Then we say many pieces of artwork that involved Mao like this pink statue...

And this interesting set of ads like this one that combined the slogan "Read Mao's little red book" with Western advertising slogans like Nike's "Just do it!"

Who knows...but Chinese Modern Art is certainly an interesting experience!

My first mini-job!

2007-05-20T10:42:00.001-04:00

I earned my first little bit of money here in Beijing today doing voice recording in English. I was contacted through the school and recorded some stuff for software for an electronics company. It was quite the experience. I spent 4 hours working for $100, was picked up and dropped off by a car, and then treated to dinner afterwards by the three guys that hired me. It was a fun experience, and it sounds like they will be calling me again. This is apparently something that lots of foreigners do here in Beijing, as people are always needed to voice record in languages other than Chinese. I actually got a lot of Chinese practice in during dinner and car rides, so I hope this becomes a regular thing. There are so many little part-time jobs like this one to be found in Beijing, and speaking fluent English is a much more valuable asset than one would think!

Clemson Folks come to Beijing

2007-05-20T10:22:00.000-04:00

Last week was nice because I got to see some old friends a couple of times as the annual Clemson trip passed through Beijing. Jessica's dad, Mr. Campbell, as well as Josh Lawrence and three of my professors were in the group. I went out two days and evenings with the group and had a fun time experiencing South Carolina indirectly.
This is the first night in Beijing when we went out to dinner...

It was nice to take them to my favorite street and introduce them to all the friendly shop owners that have now seen me several times. These guys own one store that we always go into. Sometimes we buy things, sometimes we don't, but we always have good laughs in Chinese and drink tea with them. This time they gave me a free Beijing Olympics hat!

The guy on the right says he likes Americans a lot because of their direct and open attitudes...but he also says that we grow up to look a lot older than we are. Oh well. You win some and lose some, right?

When we were looking for something specific, one shop owner sent me to a place called "Wa'er ma." It took me a minute to figure out that she was talking about Wal-mart and then we all had a good laugh. I hadn't been to one in Beijing, so we went on a search. The first indication we were on the right track was this jovial street sweeper!

Walking into the Wal-mart was like a breath of fresh air. Clean aisles, low prices, and a wide selection of products separated it from our typical Chinese shopping experience. Although most products were adapted to the Chinese market, the style in which they were presented was still very much the same. Josh especially enjoyed it as it was his first time out of the country and this store relieved quite a bit of culture shock from the last two weeks!

The last taste of home was a lovely cappuccino and cake back at the hotel cafe with some hours of good conversation. A very nice visit, indeed! I hope to see more of you over here in Beijing!

Yunnan Part III: Lijiang

2007-05-15T19:27:00.001-04:00

This is the third and final post from the vacation. Lijiang was our last city and it was my favorite. It is more difficult to get to because you have to cross through a mountain range on a big bus so the ride wasn't pleasant. The old city is quaint and well-done, even if it is mostly newly restored. It is in a valley between many mountains and at an altitude of about 2400 meters. We stayed in a guesthouse called "Mama Naxi" and Mama and Papa served as our travel agents the whole time we were there.
This is us with Mama:

And an older generation of Naxi people:

By the time we left we could swear that the altitude or overly sunny weather got to the people. The citizens of Lijiang all seemed slightly (or at times a lot) crazier than the other Yunnanese people we had met. Papa would yell questions at you with noodles hanging out of his mouth only to forget what you said five minutes later. Somehow, out of the chaos, they managed to do all kinds of things for us like rent bikes, reserve a car for a day, buy our bus tickets, etc. A bizarre system, but it worked.
This is the Naxi people doing a dance with some regular bystanders in the square. About 30 seconds into it I start narrarating:

And this is where we ate dinner the first night. Very crowed, a little touristy, but a nice spot next to a canal.

Lijiang had a park that we went to our last night that was gorgeous. At dusk it had the best view of the highest mountain in the area.

We climbed a hill at dusk to overlook the city. This was a view from the same park of Lijiang at night:

And when we came down from the hill, the entire park was lit up with multi-colored lights. What a beautiful place!

The last part of Lijiang that needs mentioning is our trip to the Tiger Leaping Gorge. This is a Gorge between two mountains that is actually deeper than the Grand Canyon. We went on a walk through the gorge. This is just a small introduction video.

Next time we go back to Yunnan, I hope we leave enough time to hike the upper trail!

Yunnan Part II: Dali

2007-05-15T01:48:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry for the late arrival of part II. Dali and Lijiang were both smaller, unique cities in Yunnan. Dali is famous for the Bai nationality whereas Lijiang was famous for the Naxi nationality. Both had their own language, customs and different style of dress. In Dali we got off of the bus and jumped in a taxi that told us we shouldn't go to that hostel, but another one instead for various reasons. We took his recommendation and ended up at his buddy's guesthouse that turned out to be our favorite place in the whole trip. We checked in and explored what they called the "Ancient City" which was a walled-off section in the center. This is the three of us in front of the gate:

And the city after the sun went down:

Dali is famous for the three pagodas, the Bai people, a beautiful lake, the old city, and some other things. I particularly enjoyed the day we rode around a lake, visited a cave and the Bai village. All along the way there were people in every nook and cranny of the rice fields working with the pointy hats and an ox nearby. It really reminded me that a larger percentage of the Chinese are not in a big city like we were, and how different their lifestyle is from what we consider our normal Chinese life.

This woman ran to sell us fruit when we stopped to take a picture:

And this is me with three Bai women:

Finally, the South is more mountainous than Beijing. Bicycle entrepreneurship takes a little more effort sometimes...