Day 2 – Friday, June 19, 2009
Placement exam: written and oral
Lunch – Ma lan noodles – first real meal outside of the campus
Orientation – Liu laoshi’s stories, folders, t-shirts
Dinner – The Buffalo Restaurant à Went to Hou hai [a place that has a mixture of the West meets the East. Both sides are separated by a body of water (a river, possibly). A couple of us drank and smoked hookah, came back at like 2:00am and passed out!

Day 3 – Saturday, June 20, 2009
Campus tour at 9am
lunch at Thai place – delicious pineapple rice
pick up books
Got lost trying to find public pool with Mike and Bryan
Dinner at Uyghur place – super spicy and could not eat most of it
Went clubbing at the Cocobanana – went to the wrong club and had to meet at Banana Babyface

Day 4 – Monday, June 21, 2009
First day of class – extremely intensive course. Doing a lot of homework ever since. 40-55 new vocab. words a day. 8-12pm – normal class, 2-3 hours of language practicing and speaking. Barely anytime to rest!

So I haven’t been able to blog for a while because I haven’t really had the time. I hate to use that as an excuse, but Columbia was not playing when they said “intensive course.” I have a lot of homework every day, but I’m getting more adjusted while I’m here. I decided that I’m going to blog every weekend instead of everyday because there is simply not enough time! Similar to the New York Times, I will entitle this “Week-in Review”.  For these past two weeks, I’ve been getting adjusted to the climate, the food and the amount of work that I have. Now that I am more adjusted, I also have a “yu-ban”, which is a language partner. I met her once, but since I’ve been too cheap to buy a cell phone, I literally have no way of contacting her. My plan is to definitely get a cell phone ASAP! In addition, I’ve signed up for a calligraphy class which consists of writing characters and painting. I’m really excited for it! Classes take place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (5:00pm-6:00pm). It’s quite informal and I do not need to be there every session. In terms of reading (for pleasure), shopping, doing research for my honors thesis paper, I would have to say that I am quite disappointed with myself. I really have not been able to do any work outside of reading, writing, speaking and listening to Chinese. The program’s expectations and standards are much higher than I expected. Despite this, I would have to say that I love being challenged and this program is pushing me every day in one way or another. I know that by the end of this program that I will be satisfied with my results in regards to my Chinese abilities. In addition to our busy schedules during the weekdays, our Saturdays are typically filled with tourist adventures. Even though attendance is not mandatory, a lot of the places on the list are attractions that I want to see. For example, these past two weekends, I’ve already travelled to Si Ma Tai Great Wall (one of the best preserved areas of the Great Wall), the Bird’s Nest, the Water Cube (Olympics Facilities) and Tiananmen Square (See facebook for pictures!) It’s funny how different I feel when I’m actually at these places (especially the historical sites). I read about these places all the time in my history books and journal articles, but when I was actually standing in the Square, the experience is completely overwhelming. I almost cried thinking about the June 4^th incident because I remembered that the ground that I was standing in was once covered with the bodies of protesters, mere students that were fighting for freedom and democracy. These students were approximately my age and fought for a cause that they truly believed in. As I stand in the Square, I feel proud to be an American and grateful for my parents who sacrificed their already established lives to give my siblings and me, the opportunities and privileges that America has to offer.  Even today, these freedoms are denied from the Chinese and people are too afraid to stand up for what they truly want. It has been 20 years since the event and perhaps that was what made the experience more difficult. Moreover, it was hard to watch other tourists smile in their pictures. Though I’m certain many people in the Square that day did not know about the massacre, I still felt a pang of sadness as people lounged around as if it were merely another tourist attraction. Perhaps it is because I have so much passion for what I study that I, in some way, feel a sense of attachment to this place that I’ve never seen. Yet somehow through my reading, my presentations and my projects about China, I have gained some knowledge and basic understanding that made me feel the way that I did when I walked onto the Square.  I feel really blessed to be in Beijing. I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to see so many beautiful and meaningful places. While I am here, I am constantly reminded of why I study Chinese history and why I fell in love with this country and its culture. In these weeks to come, I hope that this feeling stays with me as I will need the inspiration to write my honors thesis paper.
                On a lighter note, I miss America for a few reasons. I don’t really have time to blog about each one, but to name a few:

• Sitting toilets (squatting toilets are no fun, but they remind me of my experience in Tanzania).
• My mother’s cooking. Beijing’s food is really spicy and way too heavy, but I’ve managed to find a few places that have awesome food. I’ve also managed to eat a lot of Chinese minority food which include Dai, Uyghurs, Thai, Korean, etc. (more to come!) Bubble tea here is also SUPER cheap. I don’t think I’m going to want to pay $3 to $4 when they charge 4-5 kuai here. It’s ridiculous.
• Family, Malcolm, and friends. – Thank you for your love and support in these past two and half weeks. I’ve definitely needed it! You are all constantly in my thoughts and prayers. I can’t wait to see you! J
• American drivers? I’m not exactly sure if I miss American drivers, but let’s just say Beijing drivers are crazy and they WILL HIT YOU. I kid you not.

There are many other things, but I’ll be sure to blog again! Sorry for taking sooo long!

I left for the Newark Airport at around 9:30am and got there in half an hour, give or take. I checked in my baggage and said good-bye to my dad at the gate. I almost cried when I waved good-bye to my dad because the reality of traveling by myself for the first time hit me. Even though I travelled without any family last summer to Tanzania and Zanzibar, I had the comfort of knowing that Professor Bender and Tamra were with me. However, I walked into the check point without knowing anyone from the program and hoped for the best. I quickly found gate 108 as the signs were quite clear at the airport. I stopped by for some earl grey tea at a coffee shop because I was feeling particularly nostalgic in regards to my coffee dates with Tricia and Jo. I sat down at the waiting area of gate 108, where there were families going back to see their relatives, foreign students like me, who are visiting and studying abroad among other people. I did not really meet anyone until I was on line to board the plane. On the plane, I also got to meet two guys in the program who happened to sit near me. I also bonded with a father and daughter who sat next to me in a three seater in the middle of the plane. The 14 hour plane ride was not too bad. I probably got approximately an hour of sleep (which totally sucked) and watched a few movies including:

1) Three Kingdoms with Andy Lau and Sammo Hung
2) Taken with Liam Neeson
3) Chocolat with Johnny Depp (loved this movie!)
4) Champion with Dicky Cheung

The last hour of the ride was quite bumpy and turbulent. I got a bit anxious, but alas, Continental did not disappoint me with its wonderful landing. However, my biggest complaint was a fat lady stewardess who was extremely bitchy and the awful food.  As I already have a weak stomach, eating bad plane food did not help. I think they spent all the money on the gourmet Hagen Daaz vanilla ice cream that they served. Personally, I would have preferred better food, but that’s just me! Anyway, Beijing is not a pretty site right now. It is overcast, foggy and smoggy. It’s not too hot or humid right now, but the air is definitely thick and dense. I’ve been having difficulty breathing and adjusting to the air. I really hope that goes away soon. After we landed, 4 other guys and I found each other, but no one else from the program. We assumed we were being picked up at 5:15pm (it was 2ish at the time) and we did not want to wait. So we decided to take a minivan taxi to the university instead of wait for a few hours. It was quite a long ride and it was difficult to see, but it was fun, nonetheless. I have an awesome floor, but it’s only temporary because we’re staying at the East Gate Dormitory for a week and then moving to the West Gate Dorm (which I heard is much nicer) and is suite style (so more fun too). My roommate, Patina is really nice. She’s from Columbia University, as most students in this program are. Like myself, she is also Cantonese. The rest of the day consisted of attempting to get my GSM phone to work (which it didn’t), getting internet (only available in the hallway, where I am now), showering, eating dinner and most of all socializing. There are 80 people in the program so we’ve been trying to remember each other names. The dinner was pretty terrible. Since we are being quarantined for a week, we have been asked to eat within the dorm. We got “take out food” which pretty much looks like airplane food/lean cuisine-like. I wanted to study for my placement exam tomorrow morning, but I’m simply exhausted. They tell you in the handbook that you will get hot water for your shower. What they didn’t tell you is that you only get it during specific times of the day. For example, I wanted to take a shower last night at like 9pm because I was gross from the flight. I had to shower in freezing cold water. I shivered my way through it. It was miserable. I thought I was done with cold showers in Tanzania, but apparently not! I hope this changes when we move to the West Gate Dorm because I will not be a happy camper if I have to go through cold showers everyday especially because the rooms are air-conditioned. It makes the experience quite miserable. Anyway, I’m off to sleep so I will blog again later! 再见！

I believe it is time for me to begin a new adventure. In about an hour, I will be leaving for the Newark Airport and taking a 12:10pm flight to Beijing, where I will be staying for the next 9 weeks. I am doing an intensive language program through Columbia University. Classes till be from 8am to 12pm, Monday through Friday. We have mandatory “lunches” where we chat and practice our Chinese (Mandarin) with our peer tutors or our professors 3x a week.

I can’t believe a month has already passed by and I’m leaving already, but I suppose it is time! I have been quite unproductive as I am job-less so I have had time to merely relax. (God forbid!) Nonetheless, I managed to hang out with friends, family and of course, Malcolm. (Minus a few like Eunice, who I never got to see :[ ) I will miss all of you very much. I will have Skype so hopefully I can keep in touch. (ask me for my username if you need it) I will be traveling a lot when not in class so please forgive me if I have difficulty keeping in touch. However, if you want to know what I'm doing, please keep reading this blog as I will be updating weekly, if not daily!

The next time I blog, it will be halfway across the world from you guys. (What a thought!) Also, please leave me your addresses as I will be sending postcards when I have the time! Have a wonderful and safe summer. I will keep you all in my prayers and in my thoughts. I hope you do the same for me as I will be on a plane for the next 14 hou

I'm on a plane!

rs. Let’s hope no one has H1N1 because I’m already being quarantined for a week. (a.k.a. eating in the dorms, getting my temperature taken everyday for a week, not leaving campus, etc.)  I’ll let you guys know how THAT goes.

With love,
Bea

The summer weather has been fairly disappointing thus far as it has rained for multiple days in a row and has not been hot enough for the beach. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed the luxury of being at home and appreciating the nature that surrounds our house. The other day I went to Pt. Pleasant and it was 81 degrees. However, the wind made it so much colder than that. My girlfriends and I negligently forgot to put on sunscreen resulting in the sunburns on my legs, my chest and my face. I actually brought sunscreen and forgot to put it on. How careless and clumsy of me! Recently, I’ve been inspired by Malcolm to pick up a hobby and decided on photography. I looked into getting a used SLR camera, but they are all fairly expensive. Even though the basic Canon Rebel is $500 on Ebay, they include a lot of other accessories like lenses, the bag for the camera, the battery charger and the screen cleaners among other things. However, in this day and age, I figured I should save the money especially since I will be traveling to Beijing in a few weeks.  I also realized that I have been neglecting the features on my Canon PowerShot SD600. Though it is a small digital camera, it still has a lot of functions that I have been exploring. When Malcolm and I were in Philly watching Star Trek in the IMAX dome, we passed by a really beautiful fountain called the Swann Memorial Fountain. I’m practicing a bit just to learn how to take angles. I love being in a city because there are so many types of people there.

The Swann Memorial Fountain

Front view of the fountain

There were high school students taking pictures for prom; there was a guy who was riding his bicycle around the fountain multiple times; there was a woman sketching the fountain and other couples like us that were just enjoying the sounds of the fountain and the mist of the water on our faces. I hope that sometime in the future I’ll have more time to explore Philly because I’m completely unfamiliar with the city.

Malcolm brought me home grown flowers yesterday and I took some really beautiful pictures of them despite the cheap bottle that acted as a vase. My mother is obsessed with flowers so she’s managed to fill up every vase at home with some type of flower (either fake or real). I had no choice, but to use a plastic bottle which did not do these roses any justice. I’ll definitely get my own vase just in case I happen to receive flowers again.

I figured I’d share these pictures since I love the flowers so much. The red roses smelly simply wonderful! Its aroma reminds me of lycee, the Chinese fruit that I used to eat when I was little. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside just sniffing them.  I know I’ve uploaded 2 photos already, but I can’t help myself so enjoy!

Live.

Love.

Laugh.

The 3 L’s. Don’t forget them! Stay tuned until next time, dear readers.

Now that I’m home, I’ve been trying to come up with a new routine. I decided that I’m going to eat healthier, run and work out every other day, take my vitamins and drink a lot of water. I love running outside as opposed to being on a treadmill. In high school, I’d run 7-8 miles a day after school on the treadmill. I definitely got sick of it. So far it has taken me 3-4 trips of minor side cramps, stopping, and walking to finish the run. I’m hoping that those things will go away soon. They’re definitely hindrances to a good and satisfying run. The weather definitely does not help. My allergies acted up on the last run and it was quite miserable. I was running back with pressure in my sinuses that were almost unbearable (even though I took Claritan D!). I’m hoping that does not happen again because I hate wasting time to stop. For me, the best part about running outside is getting to see all the little animals like chipmunks, squirrels, bunnies and pretty birds among other adorable creatures.

Love me, I'm cute!

I also like listening to my running soundtrack (which I need to update). I’m always kind of in my own little world when I’m running, but I have be aware of my surroundings since there are cars everywhere and I’m running on Valley Road, which is a fairly busy street.

Anyway, I’ve been reviewing 3 semesters worth of Chinese before I learn some on my own. Since I’m only on the 2nd semester (lesson 8), I better get going!

Stay tuned, dear readers for more summer adventures!

As I’m listening to various birds coo and chirp outside, I remind myself that I am home at last.I’m sitting at my disorganized desk and a chair with no cushion or backing. Since I’m never home, most of the furniture in my room is taken without permission and typically never returned. ( i.e. my long mirror) I usually get annoyed with these mishaps the first few days I am back, but now that I’ve been back since Friday, I don’t really care anymore. I haven’t bothered to unpack yet and I really should…considering I’ve had to rummage through my suitcase of disaster to get my clothes and my hamper to get clean undergarments. Did I mention that all of these things are in the basement? It’s a quite a show.

Nonetheless, it’s good to be home. It’s been a really rough semester. I took classes that I thought I would like including 20th Century China, Global Women Writers and Shakespeare: Sources and Contexts, but alas, it was just a bunch of lies and deceit! Well regardless, this semester is over and I am awaiting two more grades on my transcript.

I have so many plans for the beginning of this summer, especially since I am leaving for China on June 17th. I will be gone until August 22nd, a total of 9 weeks. It’s crazy how time flies because technically, I’m already a senior in college. Most of me is still in denial because I typically count the summer as part of junior year. Regardless, I think it’s time to start fulfilling the list of things that I want to do. So far I’ve been doing nothing but sleeping in late and reading. I love reading for pleasure because I never really have the time to do it throughout the year. I just finished reading Michael Scott’s The Alchemyst: Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flammel. It’s an extremely fast read and I already put the next book in the series on hold. Unfortunately the author isn’t finished with the series and I will be waiting for book 3 to come out.

I’m really praying that the weather will be nice and hot enough to go to the beach before I leave because Beijing is nothing but high temperature and humidity!  It’s an excellent day to go for a run and I think that’s exactly what I’m going to do later today.

Apologies for the long wait on the post. I promise to post more now that I’m home!

P.S. I’m rediscovering my love for RENT and recently sung their entire movie soundtrack in the car while driving. It’s quite excellent. Check it out when you get a chance. After all, there is “no day, but today“

P.P.S. I was going to take a picture of a beautiful tree outside of my room, but the key to my safe is currently MIA and my camera is inside soo I will look into it asap!

Happy Belated Easter, everyone! I hope you’ve all had your fair share of Jesus, family, chocolate and of course…PEEPS! I love peeps.

Peeps GALORE!

They’re nothing but sugar and more sugar, but they’re delightful! I can’t think of a better word to describe them. They’re fun to look at and to eat. Unfortunately, I did not really celebrate Easter this year and I did not get my usual intake of peeps, but my roommate brought plenty from home and I cannot wait till the day is over (because I will very much be munching on those).

Since Malcolm won’t be here for my birthday, we tried to celebrate a week early. His present to me was to take me to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden! I love flowers and I admit, I am very much a nature lover (not necessarily to the extent of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the rest of his crew of transcendentalists, BUT nonetheless, an advocate of nature). Trees, flowers, garden houses, water fountains, etc. Who could ask for a better birthday present?

However…the weather did not cooperate on Sunday. It was high 50 degrees and the winds were up to 18 mph. Oh Mother Nature, why couldn’t you make it warm outside?

Despite this, I refuse to let April showers rain on my parade! We will definitely go when school is not sucking our souls and when the weather is warmer. The weather has been unbelievably inconsistent lately and it has been very frustrating. My allergies have been terrible and if it wasn’t for Claritan-D, I probably would not survive April. I just wish it would be warm already!

Anyway, I am so excited to see the flowers that are in bloom at the garden in April: cherry blossoms, magnolias, forsythias, narcissus, pansies and forget-me-nots just to name a few! If you’re interested to see what type of flowers are in bloom during your birthday month, you can check it here! I simply love cherry blossoms. I think they’re so beautiful. There’s a total of 220 trees at the BBG!

Hanami: Blossoming Beauties

I’ve never been to a botanical garden before, but I think I’m really going to enjoy it. If you want something to do in New York, I definitely recommend checking out the BBG and the Brooklyn Museum of Art (which is very close to the garden). The best part is that you can purchase a package and save money. Hitting two birds with one stone at its best!

It’s nice to have a list of things to look forward to when you’re losing motivation to work. I know that we’re all going through a really rough month full of exams, papers and presentations among other assessments. With that said, I encourage all of you to start a list! I’ve already started a list of things that I want to do before I leave for Beijing in June. Just to list a few:

• go to the beach and watch the sunrise
• go to BBG and the Brooklyn Museum of Art
• go to NYC for more museum visits (Museum of Sex, Guggenheim, The Frick Collection etc.)

Feeling unmotivated? Frustrated with schoolwork?
Breathe and take a step back. Take out a piece of paper and write down things you will look forward to this summer!

Good luck, dear readers.

So the other day I was doing my laundry and I recently discovered a NEW and EXCITING way to have fun with it!!

Typically, I would just separate whites and colored and wash my clothes. After placing them in the dryer, I would fold them in the laundry room.
I hated bringing back my clothes to my room because I was always afraid that they would get wrinkly. As much as I like ironing (yes, I know, it’s a weird quirk), I simply do not have the time during the week to iron my clothes! So I make sure I fold them as soon as they are out of the dryer.

HOWEVER, when I was helping Malcolm with his laundry a few weeks ago, he looked at me with a “what are you doing?” kind of face when I started folding his clothes in the laundry room. Then he was like: ” Let’s just fold it back in my room.” I argued for a bit, but decided to give it a try. Little did I know what I was in for.

We went back to his room and he threw all his clothes on the bed. I kind of looked at the bed with disapproval, but then he said: ” JUMP in it!”  I was a bit confused as to what he was asking me to do…so I just asked him to do it first. Then I jumped into the pile of clean clothes next to him and it was the BEST feeling ever! It was so warm and soft and I couldn’t get myself out of bed. Ahh, it’s like a jacuzzi minus the water and bubbles! Malcolm saw how much I enjoyed it and tried to pull me out from the pile of joy as my body weight was wrinkling his clothes.

Jumping into piles of laundry: your next favorite thing to do

It was something really silly, but it reminded me about being young again. (I know I’m not THAT old). Sometimes I feel like I’m a little bit TOO serious about things. Even when it comes to laundry, I’m a tadOCD. I actually separate the clothes by color; I put the dryers on different temperatures and I fold them as soon as they’re dry.

It’s really nice to have friends and/or someone special in your life  to remind you that  despite the fact that there are some serious aspects in life, sometimes you just can’t take it too seriously! Jumping into a pile of clean clothes made me feel like the little girl jumping into puddles when it rained.

Next you do your laundry, don’t dread it.  Get silly and jump in! (the MORE clothes, the better)

Bring a friend and share the love!

That is all, dear readers

* I promised Malcolm I would blog about my Palisades Mall experience, but that just had to wait because talking about laundry is simply more enjoyable. *

Everyone needs a bit of pampering and indulgence once in a while. It is merely impossible to enjoy life without them! Despite the drop in temperature and sporadic rain showers, I would have to say that Thursday was a good day.

I got to indulge myself in a tall cup of Starbucks’ latest London Fog latte (recommended to me by Tricia who knows I have a thing for Tazo’s Earl Grey Tea).

Ingredients include:
Full leaf black tea with citrusy Italian Bergamot and a hint of lavender. Sweetened with vanilla syrup and topped with steamed milk and velvety foam.

Starbucks' London Fog Latte: a taste of happiness

I always ask for no foam on my latte. It makes me bloated, which is simply not okay. I also got it with soy milk, which makes it 2x better than skim or whole. Seriously people, give it a try. I promise you won’t regret it because soy is the way to go.

A cup of coffee is simply not the same without a good conversation. Luckily, my friend Mike came to visit me today! It was very exciting as it was the first time that he visited my school. Rekindling and reconnecting with old friends is probably one of the best feelings in the world.

If you’re too busy to chat with your friends and you’re just trying to get some work done, I also recommend iTunes classical radio station entitled Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio. I have a lot of difficulty reading when there’s a lot of noise, but piano music always makes me feel better. With a cup of london fog latte, soy chai or earl grey tea, curl up in a comfy chair, turn on this radio station and enjoy a good read.

Take some time out to indulge in little things you enjoy. I realized how relaxing this can be. Everyone deserves to be spoiled once in a while. Soothing music, a hot cup of deliciousness and a good friend does it for me.

Seek your simple pleasures.

“Life is a train of moods like a string of beads; and as we pass through them they prove to be many colored lenses, which paint the world their own hue, and each shows us only what lies in its own focus.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s official. I finally decided to make a blog. My coffee girls (Tricia and Jo) have insisted that “I get my blog on!”

It’s been a while since I’ve written in this way, but I hope that I’ll be able to share my thoughts, perspectives and opinions of the world with you.

I’ve been feeling very nostalgic lately. I’ll spend nights digging through old letters, notes from friends and pictures of people who have left a mark in my life. I’ll subconsciously spend hours reflect on my past experiences. I always feel the need to do this when I’m home. It’s become habitual. Maybe I’m trying to reconnect with my past because I have a tendency to brush things aside if it’s upsetting to think about it. I never take out enough time to face these emotions. It’s cathartic, yet draining. Sometimes, when I’m delving into the past, I feel like it takes me away from the present and it scares me. Maybe that’s why I avoid it.

A City of Lights: A place I still call home

I certainly don’t do enough reflecting when I’m at school. I’m always running around on campus, going through this monotonous routine that I know from the back of my hand. I constantly feel like I have no time. Do you ever feel this way?

I’m going back to school today after being at home for a week. Being in college has made me realize how much I love my family and how much I often take them for granted. There’s my overprotective father, my worrisome and often overbearing mother, my sarcastic, yet soft-hearted sister and  my blase and absent-minded brother. It’s comforting to know that no matter what happens, they’ll always be there for me.

A Flower from Tanzania

When I’m back at school, I promise to have more uplifting things to write about. I don’t know about you, but I am anxiously awaiting Spring!

Up next: My trip to the Palisades Mall with Malcolm & reviews of Watchmen, Delimanjoo and California Pizza Kitchen.

Stay tuned, dear readers.