(Note: If you just want to see pictures, they're at the end. If they look TINY, click them and a bigger version will open)
Alright.
I apologize about the lack of updates. I’m going to blame this one on midterms, procrastination and technological problems.
You see, I DID update twice in the last 3 weeks. Big updates, full of fun and useful information that I’m sure you would have all found riveting.
Unfortunately, when I hit ‘Post’, some vagary of Chinese internet meant that I lost the hour or so each time that I had put into them. Being me, I never saved drafts or anything for the two updates I did make. This time I’m going all out and writing it in Word with the 5-minute auto-save feature activated.
So what has happened since I last posted? I’ll tell you what has happened. Lots.
First and foremost, most of you who read this know that we are currently approaching the end of November. This means we’re also approaching the end of Movember, a cancer research fundraiser that operates on the reverse principle of the Head Shave. You see, instead of removing hair, men are encouraged to grow the most outlandish moustache they can for a whole month, collecting funds that go to male-specific cancer research.
So far those of you that have donated have helped me raise $225 CAD for the effort! In return, as promised, I will make every effort to post some pictures of my ‘stash around Beijing. I have a few photos of the ‘stash as it stands now, but I’m still a full 6.5 days away from the full maturity of facial hair.
If you haven’t donated yet, there is still ample time. Please go to this link:
https://www.movember.com/ca/donate/donate-details.php?action=sponsorlink®o=2022056&country=ca
And donate. Remember that it’s 100% safe and trusted, not to mention tax deductible!
Alright, now that my fundraising efforts have been made, back to the updates.
Middle of November means the same thing for most students worldwide: midterms. It means that we have to break from drinking and partying and enter the hallowed halls of the school library and brush up on our books and our notes!
Alternately, it means going to a pub-quiz the night before your 听力 (Listening) exam and still scoring 94%. 综合 (Comprehensive) was a 98% and 口语 (Spoken) was a 90%. All well within the expected parameters. I was satisfied.
What else… various forays into the Beijing nightlife, of course. I’ve been doing the Wednesday night Pub Quiz at the nearby pub Lush every week since early October. Cat and I are the central members of our team (whose name is, unfortunately, unprintable), with numerous other repeat offenders dropping in from week to week to fill the considerable gaps in our collective knowledge. We’re middle of the pack as far as the regulars go, having reached 3rd place twice and gained a spot on the leaderboard (which, to be fair, we only played for the last 7 quizzes out of the 40 they do a leaderboard for). Fun stuff and I finally found a use for all the useless trivia I’ve accumulated over the years.
Starting to have to say goodbye to friends I’ve made at the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). Having made an amazing friend in one Sarah Gildea here at Tsinghua, I then through her met an incredibly likeable and sociable gentleman who was a student for a few months at BLCU. This is the sort of guy who collects friends like most people collect small change. Through James and Sarah I’ve come to know at least a few dozen students at BLCU, and count a few of them as good friends. Unfortunately their semester ends 2 months before ours does, so James has already returned home and many more are leaving within the next week and a half. It’s sad to see these people go, and at James’ goodbye party we all sort of realized how unlikely it was that all these people would ever again be in the same room at the same time.
Along with a sort of ‘core’ group from BLCU, Sarah and I tagged along to the Beijing National Performing Arts Center for a contemporary Chinese opera. This building is called the ‘Egg’, for various reasons, and is situated right next to Tian’anmen Square amongst architecture thousands of years old. Look at the picture I’ve put up below and you’ll see why a lot of Chinese don’t really care for its inclusion in such a conspicuous location. Inside was beautiful and highly modern; it made the new Jubilee look old and careworn.
The Opera itself was very, very good and the story was interesting. It wasn’t the traditional 京剧 (with the facepaint and loud, clashy music), but instead was a modern piece about rural women dealing with men moving to the cities to find work. It was also subtitled! They had vertical ‘message board’ things on each side of the stage that spelt exactly what was being sung at any given time! It was Close Captioning for a live performance! Because of this, those of us with better Chinese could at least understand SOME of the plot (though it wasn’t until the penultimate scene that we FINALLY realized that the man 大哥 was not in fact the brother of the main character, but was instead her lover). Brilliantly done and epic in scope.
In the past two weeks I also had my first foray into the Chinese medical system! On the Friday of my Comprehensive and Listening exams, I somehow managed to trigger a blockage in my left ear. 10 minutes before the listening exam. A virtually complete loss of hearing. Talk about bad luck…
Anyways, after various attempts by me to fix it back in my room only made it worse, I managed to con my German friend Jenny (who also speaks fluent English and Mandarin) to come with me to the Campus hospital and have it checked out. This is a hospital that has multiple operating theatres, a fully functioning emergency room, 24 hour pharmacy and obstetrics ward. What they didn’t have was one of those little scopes that allows you to look into someone’s ear. They turfed me out on my partially deaf ass and told me to go to the Beijing Third Hospital; a 20 minute cab ride away. Unfortunately Jenny had to go to a class the next morning (a Saturday, no less), so I called Sarah and asked if she and her electronic dictionary could come and help translate.
The next morning we ventured out. The cab ride from campus cost 17 kuai (about $3.15CAD) one way, and upon arrival we wandered into a room that was filled with people waving around a plastic RFID card and a blue form at this one bedraggled nurse. The room reminded me of a stereotypical WWII hospital; with peeling paint and poor lighting. After standing and waiting to talk to this poor lady without a card or a form flapping in her face, she finally looked at me and asked what I needed. In Mandarin. Into my bad ear. Fortunately Sarah heard and asked her where to get the card and form. Directed to ANOTHER building, we went and got the Patient card (5 kuai, or about $1) and a registration form. Armed with waving apparatus’, we returned to the nurse and flapped for all we were worth.
Finally we were again selected and I had my blood pressure and pulse taken. From the nurses expression, I think I was higher than most of the Chinese people who had previously had theirs taken. Ah well. We were then quickly shuffled into a room that said ENT (Ear Nose Throat) on the door, and were handed off to one young doctor. The doctor happened to speak enough English to ask ‘what wrong’? Between Sarah and I and his English we told him that I couldn’t hear. He crammed a little funnel thing into the ear and looked with one of those cartoon-head-reflector things. Upon completion of his examination, he proudly proclaimed that I merely had a case of ‘Dirty on the Membrane’! We muddled that he meant a wax blockage and he prescribed some eardrops to soften the wax and told me to come back in a week to have the blockage removed.
Total cost for this examination AND the eardrops? 5毛. For those of you keeping score out there, that is precisely 9.3 CENTS Canadian. Amazing.
So, to shorten the story a bit, we went back a week later and had the blockage removed. This was in a MUCH, much nicer building with many modern amenities like waiting room televisions. The removal process cost me 30Z块 and consisted of another doctor shoving a dental vacuum into my ear canal. Intensely uncomfortable but very effective. I can hear perfectly clear out of both ears!
Total cost of the diagnosis, medicine and treatment: 30.5块钱 (Approx. $5.68)
Total cost of the taxi cabs I took to get the diagnosis and such: 80块 ($14.99)
Other than that, I’ve had a very normal few weeks. Lots of going away parties and whatnot. Even made it to a salsa night (attracted by the all you can drink for free policy), though I didn’t dance. Been to a GREAT concert to hear some good quality Chinese punk and indie music.
Unfortunately, I’ve also been blowing a LOT of money on having a good time. My budget is slowly slipping toward the 0 mark, and I’m going to have to properly manage what’s left if I don’t want to dip into my (thankfully clear) credit card and student line of credit. I’m happy to come home with no money for the experience, but I’d much rather not be in debt if I can avoid it.
Anyhow, I’m sorry if I’ve rambled. That’s what happens when you don’t update for a long time. I’m going to REALLY try and make an effort to update a little bit a lot more often, instead of 1700 words at one time. If you read it all, I’m impressed.
I’d like to end this by wishing Peter a quick convalescence and that I’m just as worried as everyone else about his health. I’m glad he was somewhere that prompt and quality medical treatment was available, as this is what is going to make the difference between future problems and a complete recovery. My thoughts are with the Stivens and Peter as he gets better.
Thanks again, hope everyone is well,
Nathan
This is EXACTLY what it looked like when we were there. Okay, not really. That reflection is from a massive reflecting pool that surrounds the whole structure. Unfortunately, the only time I've seen the Egg is when it's been emptied for maintenance and for the winter. Still, it's a magnificent building.
Myself and Kar-Men posing in the international 'Wood-Family-Represent' pose.
Also at James' going away party. I may have had a few to drink by this point. Notice the 'stash though!
The group that went to the Opera! This was the entrance way (the reflecting pool was directly above this; it's a glass skylight that's usually underwater)
See what I mean when I say James collects friends? He's in the middle with the yellow rose over his chest. How many of you could get THIS many people who you've known for 3 months to come out for your going away thing?
This is just another 'stash highlight. Notice the gap where I'm apparently incapable growing hair? Hint: corners of my mouth. Remember, I have shaved like that every day for 21 days.
