And... the Grace Note.

Here I am!

Writing my final manifesto/research paper on this trip, I’m thinking on re-reading it that it rings more philosophical than I might have intended. If you don’t want to hear a bit of my thoughts on travel, people and life, then you’re not really in the right place. There’s an exit behind you, but I’d rather you stay.

I’ve sat on this task for almost a full 8 months now, and it’s finally over a year after I left that I’m sitting down with real determination to write the final chapter of this story. I’m calling it a story because I think of it as a story; it’s a tale of experiences, people met, times had and sometimes a mere recounting of deeds done. There’s a cast of dozens, most of whom you (my patient and wonderful audience) haven’t met in name but have heard of as you read this blog over the months I spent in a little town called Beijing.

Alright, kids. I’m going to give you a bit of a rundown on why I haven’t actually written this for so long. The creative lie would be that I’ve been busy. The honest truth would be that every time I’ve sat down and attempted to write a few pages on such a massively life changing experience, I’ve had to re-live the memories. And the worst thing about re-living memories of people you don’t have around you all the time is that you miss those. It’s not a ‘I miss the days when the Simpsons was funny’ sort of feeling. It’s more a ‘Fuck. Here I sit, 8 months after last seeing these people and I still wake up with their faces on my mind.’ It’s love in a deeply platonic sense; the transitory nature of these trips makes you seek out someone, anyone, with whom you can share yourself. If you’re lucky, those people share right back. That’s where the trouble begins.

I’m honestly trying to keep this away from a depressing, monotone recollection of memories most of weren’t there for. Really, I am. But every time I think of China, I think of what Sarah told me. I’ve said it before, and I’m going to keep saying it until the day it rings false: The best and worst things about travel are the people you meet. Everything I’ve said on those words is in earlier entries, so if you want context you might just have to scroll down and dive into those words I typed an entire world ago.

In terms of a simple State of the Union, my trip to China was initially intended as one of those ‘find yourself’ sort of moments. I was 22 and had lived at home my entire life. Despite working steadily since I was 14, I have lived both a sheltered and privileged life; a gift I don’t think I could repay my parents no matter how much ‘rent’ increases. I read, while in China, that anyone who travels to ‘Find themselves’ is bound for bitter disappointment. Count me as proof. I don’t know myself. I don’t know what I want in this world. I don’t see where I fit. I don’t know whether I’m fit for a ‘career’ in an office or whether I’m one of those guys destined to work at the end of a shovel until his knees wear out.

And you know what? This ‘lost’ feeling isn’t as depressing as it sounds. To me, the whole problem of not knowing something means that there’s just that much more learning to do. And if any of you actually know me, learning about ‘stuff’ is something I love.

So, China didn’t result in me coming home a fully rounded person confident in their abilities to take the world by the proverbial balls. It did not make me a genius. It did not even make me fluent in Mandarin (though I can still order a pepperoni pizza). What it did do was make me more than I was. It make me more confident. It make me realize that even if I don’t know what it is I want, I know that I’m not just going to settle for whatever works at the time.

It’s made me conscious of the people around me. How easy it is to connect yourself to other people. I’ve missed people I see every day of my life here in Calgary, just like I’ve missed people I’m honestly probably going to never see again. I keep in touch with the people who meant the most to me in both situations, and if I didn’t please don’t assume you mean nothing. It means that I’m fallible. I’m a human. I’m a scatterbrained, disorganized person who often forgets that zippers go on the –front- of his pants.

So. What did China teach me? It taught me that of all the things I love to do, the thing that terrifies me through to exhilaration the most is the meeting of people. Making friends. I’m learning, just now, how my times in Beijing taught me how to do that, even if it’s a skill I may never master. Travel, in any form it takes, is among the best ways to do just that; meet new people. There’re a million plus people in my home city, but there’s something about sharing the experience of sitting on a pole boat in the middle of rural Liuyang with a guy from Sweden that gets rid of all those trappings of the ‘modern western world’ that get in the way. Small talk be damned; laughing at your mutual failed attempts when trying to explain something to someone who doesn’t speak your language is something that transcends ‘the weather’.

And that leaves life at home. Living amongst friends I’ve known for so much longer than 5 months in another country. People who understand me in deep, essential ways who aren’t surprised or offended when I’m 5 minutes late to tea. People who I would give everything I had to, if only for a smile. It means a world of bills, the ring of a work phone, the seemingly endless grind of getting up at 6:45am to smash the alarm clock into silence. But it’s these things that make moments outside ‘real life’, whether it’s wiping away tears of laughter because your best friend made a particularly clever play on words (often incorporating ‘your’ and ‘mom’) or wiping away their tears of frustration after another part falls off their car and their rent’s due so crucial. Work is something I enjoy. I wouldn’t work the ridiculous hours I have if I didn’t enjoy spending time being busy. But it’s a means to an end.

And here’s where I wrap it all up. The biggest lesson China taught me is that I crave experiences. I don’t want material trappings. I don’t want a pretty car without cracks in the fenders. I don’t want to own the newest, brightest, shiniest electronic toys because my ‘friends’ have a new one. I want to make money and then through any means possible transmute those dollars and cents into memories. I crave the ability to tell stories; regardless of the reaction from any given audience. The fact that these are real moments, saccharine or bittersweet, that I’ve lived means that it’s all worth the time and effort. I want not just physical or digital images of places I’ve been, but mental recordings of my friends dancing in the middle of an ancient Chinese village or laughing so hard beer comes out their nose. Travel is, in my opinion, how I can best create those experiences.

So, in the remaining sentences of the most writing I’ve ever done without being mandated by a University professor, I’m going to thank some people.

Thank you to my friends at home. Without your support, love and grounding influence, I don’t think I’d be the sort of person who could keep a straight face while embarrassing myself in front of a desk full of 18 year old Chinese girls. You keep me down when I get a little too high. You’ve taught me that laughing at myself is often the best way to get other people to laugh. You’ve taught me that being proud, cocky or big headed is a great way to lose someone who I care for. Without you, I’d have no courage to do anything I want to do. I’d love to thank you individually, because my memories with each of you are my shelter against any storms that pass my way, but I’m running out of words.

Thanks to my family; my sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles and everyone else in that mishmash of blood ties. You’re the network of people I grew up in. Of all the people in my life, you’ve been constants; changing as I’ve changed but always being the sort of person who I could relate to as ‘Uncle X’ or ‘My cousin Y’. Without your interest and lifelong support, I don’t know if I’d be who I am today and I don’t really know how to thank you for that other than a few heartfelt words.

Thanks to my parents. You’re separate from ‘my family’ only because your contributions can’t be understated. You, probably more than anyone, have taught me how to be who I am today. You’re not just a safety net, but also a driving force. When I was a precocious little brat who loved to read ‘World Fact Books’ and thus knew everything, you both always made sure I realized there’s always stuff I need to learn. You wouldn’t accept less than my best in school or work, but in a way that made me realize failures are a great lesson in cause and effect. And now, come time to grow up, you’re right there pushing with one hand and steadying with the other. Because of you both, I’ve led a pretty damned charmed life. I just hope that I can take what you’ve taught me and make my own way. Thanks.

And to the people I met in China. You all make me cripplingly sad. You’re wonderful, wonderful people who I can honestly say I barely knew, but really understood. And here we are, forced to rely on e-mail until one of us gets up the means to jump off-continent and visit ‘Foreign’ for a hug and a knowing grin. For some of you, our friendship centered on laughing at each other and ourselves until we couldn’t breathe; weaving a love of music and learning about other cultures into that fabric. Others gave me weeks of memories giggling our way through smoke and Qingdao at simple words denoting parts of the female anatomy. Another brought to me a new confidence in myself as a person in so many ways that my head still spins; leaving me with an addiction to one song that still chokes me up. Still more brought to me a breathless excitability about anything new; taking me by the hand and running us both into the unknown, consequences be damned.

To everyone that made me who I was last September and who I am today, thanks. It wouldn’t have been the same without you. I’m going to travel my whole life through; this is one of those few things I know.

I called this blog Beijing Bound because that was my destination then. I like the sub-title better. Here’s to living your live as original research; collecting memories and experiences for whatever tests life throws you in the days to come.

- Nathan

Penultimate

In a flight of fancy, I've decided that this is going to be the second last entry in this blog. This is influenced only mildly by the 白酒 that my friend Ben and I consumed at dinner (along with 青岛; China's defacto 'light' beer). What follows is largely stream of consciousness, so be forewarned.

I promised you all some deep introspection into my stay in China, and deliver on that promise I shall. I'm writing while coming down off a caffeine buzz and a chinese-liquor drunk, so I apologize if there is any problems with coherence. I'm also in a bit of a melancholy and wistful state.

In 13 hours (8 of which are allotted for sleep), I will be on a tube of metal screaming through the upper stratosphere towards cold weather, family and good friends I've left behind for the previous 5 months. I've never been this far away from hearth and home before, and the amount it's taught me about myself is staggering. The amount I've learned about others is almost as amazing.

One friend here, one very very good friend I don't think I'm going to let go of, told me that the worst part about travelling is the people you meet. Here you are, temporarily displaced from everything familiar and comfortable. You're alone, sometimes for the first time, and you crave human contact. In this vulnerable moment, you're deeply involved in the mind-numbing panic and boredom of eating lunch alone again in a packed cafeteria full of people chatting in an alien tongue. Who should come along but someone who's essentially destined to be your friend. People who share your interests, sense of humor, taste in music and everything but country of origin seem to find you in the crowd. Or you find them.

Then, months later, some great big breaker in your mind suddenly slams shut when sitting at a dinner after laughing so hard that your stomach hurts. Like a slap to the face, you realize that these people will, in all likeliness, never be in the same room again at the same time. Looking from face to face, you drink in expressions, accents, stories and laughter to hold on to the memory of people you've known for such a brief time. People who, if you had lived next door to them your whole life, would be sitting beside you as your bones creaked in shit weather a few dozen years down the road. Tears well up before the Aussie across the table laughs so hard beer spurts out her nose. Then everything's obliterated in white hot laughter as the table erupts again and the locals question your sanity.

The worst thing about travelling is the people you meet. It's the most glorious thing, too. Landscapes bedamned, historical sightseeing is for photographs and culture fades. The best thing about spending time immersed in another nation is the people you meet and the friendships you make. Bittersweet joy abounds as you share explorations of this strange new land. You give freely of yourself and accept whatever it is they offer of themselves; knowing that these people have no reason to trust you other than you trust them. You find humor in cultural differences and laugh endlessly about how everyone's supposed to be speaking English but no one can ever get their damned point across.

Then they leave.

Or you leave.

Sooner or later, real life digs deep and reels everyone back in. No one's a permanent fixture anywhere. Some say 'home is where you make it', but the problem is in coordinating with those near and dear exactly where we should set up shop.

I'm rambling. I'm sad, and mildly intoxicated, and this is the end result. I'm attempting to wax poetic and organize thoughts that simply refuse to cooperate.

I've met so many wonderful people from all walks of life. I've learned so much. So much. I've learned about the Chinese; their language, culture, traditions, cuisine and daily life. That was expected and indeed the point of the trip.

What I didn't expect was to learn the word 'bogan'. Or to listen to an Australian girl ask a French girl in Chinese how to say 'Regular' in English. Or skull VB while cheering on Hawthorne as they blitzed toward an AFL title. Or skate on a frozen lake in downtown Beijing while helping a new friend not fall on her arse. Or change the way I speak my own language in the name of hacking out a common pinyin so everyone can understand me regardless of origin. Or cry when friends left, despite having known them a relatively tiny portion of my time on this earth.

I'm sad for having to leave. I'm sad for the knowing that of all I've met, e-mail is our best bet for prolonging the relationships we've made. I'm sad for having to say goodbye.

But do I have any regrets? Yes. Those aren't for public airings, though. My regrets are my own.

One thing I never, ever, will regret is the time I've spent in Beijing. I've learned a truly immense amount about both myself and the world around me. My mind races daily with exactly how my time here in Beijing will dictate the course of my life in future years.

Thank you. Everyone who I've met in Beijing, whether I enjoyed your company or not. Knowing you has taught me something; about myself, yourself or the world. The knowledge is invaluable and I appreciate it.

For now, I've got to get packing and then get some sleep. I'm for a final breakfast in 五道口 tomorrow before I leave.

Thanks for reading these entries, if you have. After I've been home for a bit, I'll polish up the blog and the trip. There's so much to think about that I don't think I'll be ready to put the final bookend on this trip for a while.

One more left...

- Nathan

T-Minus 9

Hello all,

As usual, it's been quite a while since I've last written anything here. I don't really have a good explanation as for why. A lot of it has to do with the end of the semester being a busy time. People are leaving or already gone. I've said goodbye to a lot of good friends made here that, truth be told, I'll like-as-not never see again. One of the reasons I've sort of shied away from writing this blog is because I know that it's going to be the penultimate post in China. Because I don't really feel like spending a few thousand words analyzing my time in China when I'm supposed to be studying for my Tingli final tomorrow, I'm just going to make this an update on my times here since I last posted.

Christmas was unusual, to say the least. At the bottom of this post are photos of my activities on the 25th of December. We started the day out with YiHeYuan, the summer palace, and wandered around there for a bit. Some of those with us hadn't even walked on a frozen lake, so there was much exclamation and unsafe tramping over ice-bound water. After this, I went ice-skating in HouHai (a large park in downtown Beijing full of bars and a big lake) with Sarah and some of her friends from Australia and France. It was a lot of fun, truth be told, and I actually got to prove that Canadians are born and bred to move on ice. The fact that I was the first person to fall has nothing to do with anything; I MEANT to slip and land on my ass. We then went and spent a little too much money on bad hot chocolate, which is still welcome after 2 hours in cramped skates.

The cap on an unusual but good Christmas was Jenny and Me gorging ourselves on Sichuan hot pot and YanJing beer! Ate so much good food... I think I was in a bit of a food coma afterwards. Photos of our 'spread' are blurry, but also below.

Flash forward to New Years (happy birthday to Mayan in the days between), we did what everyone normally does on the 31st of December! We went for Teppanyaki at Tairyo. This is a place with downright _amazing_ food and all-you-can-drink sake and beer. We ate a lot of great japanese food and drank way more alcohol than was healthy. After this, we went to HouHai (again) to stand in a crowded bar and listen to loud, bad music while drinking sugary champagne. Saw the President of China get on tv and give an address. Sarah translated for me, though this basically amounted to her repeating to me the words that I also understood when HuJinTao said them! After this, I went home and slept for a day and a bit.

The semester has wound up as of last wednesday. I sit here facing three solid days of finals; 1.5 hours a day worth of tests for the 12th, 13th and 14th. Tomorrow morning is Listening (TingLi) at 8:00am and will undoubtedly be my _hardest_ test by a large margin. My listening skills in Chinese are worlds better than they were before I came to China, which is to be expected. I can usually understand everything that's being said by teachers and fellow students, while only understanding about 60% of what a local says to me (provided I know what the context of the conversation is about!). This is way better than 4.5 months ago when I arrived, when I felt like I understood pretty much nothing. Still, the concept of 'fluency' is something I can't even consider yet. It feels like the progress made is a tiny, tiny step in the right direction, which is somewhat discouraging. Still, I don't regret coming here. Not at all.

Like I said, the last week or three have been busy but largely within the ordinary bounds of ordinary life. I've scaled back considerably on the drinking but eat out every night. The campus food is bland and unoriginal; being more 'fuel' than 'food'. I'm stressed but not unreasonably considering exams are upon us. I've got my next semester at the U of C all kitted out and I'm looking to graduate in the spring; something I'm still a little shocked about. It's a little intimidating being this close to a bachelors degree while knowing that I need to start making serious decisions about the course of my life from this point on.

Annnnyways. I said I wasn't going to get all introspective this time. That's for a few days time, after everything in my room is packed up and I'm all melancholy about leaving Beijing.

Oh. Special thanks to my mom and dad for the Tim Hortons. I've already finished a tin. I think I'm more addicted to coffee now than I ever have been before. It's delicious and I'm trying to limit myself to 3 cups a day. This is helped by the fact that it's a pain in the ass to make a cup. Anyhow, thanks for the care package!

Thanks for reading and being patient, folks. I really do hope everyone is well and happy.

Enjoy the photos below:

Me standing somewhat awkwardly on skates. I blame the skates.

The 'Christmas' skating group heading to... WuDaoKou for something or other.

This is us at YiHeYuan (The Summer Palace) on Christmas Day.

Again, us on Christmas Day. I pretty much just liked Andrew's pose on the right. He insisted that it made him look 'dignified'

Random Stache Pic! I just found this on Facebook and liked how I appear to be grooving to my own inner beat.

Jenny and I with our Christmas Hot Pot Feast!

More photos of Hot Pot!

A Bridge at YiHeYuan

Jon, one of the Aussie's, walking on a lake. I like this photo. I like it a lot.

Sarah and Claire under a gate on Christmas day.

Lions on the bridge in the above photos.

"The Largest Pagoda of Its Type", or so said the sign. Sarah and Matthew make another appearance.

The above pagoda, this time with better cameratography skills.

Pseudo-artsy photos of rocks! Pretentious!

Sarah grinning from ear-to-ear because she's Standing on Ice.

Yinkuan NOT grinning because she's trying not to fall on ice.

State of the Union

Hello one and all,

It's fast approaching the holiday known to China as 圣诞节 (ShengDanJie), which is an Anglicization of 'Santa Holiday'. Christmas is a scant 2 days away, and here I am 6000 km away from my family and friends at home in Canada.

As my first Christmas away from home, this is a bit of a shaky part of the trip. It's going to suck to miss pretty much everything associated with the biggest North American holiday of the year (barring, of course, my birthday). Egg nog, fantastic food, friends, family, drinking and yes even shopping. My plans for Christmas Eve involve the same thing I do every Wednesday (pub quiz).

On that note, my Dad will be pleased to know that he indirectly helped us win first place 2 weeks ago. There was a round on acronyms, and one of the questions (worth 4 points!) was say what all the grades of Cognac were! V.S., X.O., V.S.O.P., I nailed 'em all because Dad knows his cognac. We won the Jack Daniels and then shared it, which might not have been a great idea.

Anyhow, the last week or two has been great by turns and not so great by other turns. Had to say goodbye to a couple really good friends I've made. It's been pointed out by some of the wiser people I've met that this will always be the worst thing about travelling. Meeting amazing people and then leaving them (or them leaving you) soon after. I'm noticing more and more that even though some of these folks are amazing and the sort of people I'd like to have around all the time, most of them I won't even see again once I step foot on a plane home. It's a very, very saddening fact, but sort of makes me want to spend as much time with the friends I've met as I can.

Regardless of all that melancholy, I've got Christmas in 2 days. So far my plans consist of the following: Ice Skating with Sarah because she's never been. It's been fairly damned cold in Beijing of late, with last Sunday getting to -13 in the day (with a ridiculous wind making it worse). I know you folk in Calgary are suffering through worse, and I frequently remind people that Canada is in fact much colder than this. That's why I'm not bundled up like crazy. You should see the Aussie's out here; they're in full length parkas with toques and gloves and scarves. All this because of some wind and a little chill. Cultural differences I tell you.

Anyhow, I'm about to go lay in bed and watch a movie before trying to drift to sleep. I've been having some fairly serious issues with insomnia of late. It's coming and going, mostly involving the tossing and turning until 2:00am before I drift off to sleep. Either way, it's getting a bit better, so that's all well and good.

Thanks for reading folks. I'll post on Christmas night (here), which is the morning for you all.

Hope everyone is all well and good and seasons greetings to all,

Love Nathan

Another!

Well, like I expected, I’ve been lax in updating this blog. For that, I apologize. Not even really sure who outside my immediate family reads it, but for what it’s worth the apology is sincere.

Really, there hasn’t been much going on that is of too much interest in the last 2 weeks that’s been worth posting.

I really did intend on going out with a motographer and getting a ton of motographs so you all could see me, the mo and Beijing. Unfortunately, a combination of bad weather, extremely itchy facial hair and lack of willing personnel meant that I could only really provide one crappy self-shot of the mo right before it got shaven off. It’s attached below, along with some miscellaneous (bad) photos snapped during the time I had the moustache.

In other body hair news, I did get a haircut. Finally. After going over 2.5 months without trimming or doing anything with my mop-top, I decided that it’s just hair and if it was REALLY bad I would just shave it and wear a toque. 8 kuai later (CAD $1.46 for you at home), I was the proud owner of a half-decent cut from a young man in the barbershop below my classroom.

Laundry side note: If you don’t clean a towel for long enough, it becomes stiff enough to poke someone with it. Ask my roommate. It also starts to smell funky. I’m currently doing laundry and stewing my towel in a cocktail of laundry soap and boiling water. Who knows if it’s going to work. It’s not like towels are a pricey commodity; I paid a whopping 15块 for mine, so I’m not going to be heartbroken if I have to buy a new one.

Other than that, I guess the only really significant updates are having to do with money and sleep. Namely that I’ve got less and less of either.

I’ve been sleeping less and less lately. For some reason, no matter what time I go to bed or what I do before I hit the hay, I just toss and turn for hours before finally nodding off. This usually results in me obliviously sleeping right through my alarm and missing a class or two in the mornings. I don’t really know what’s going on there, but I’m open to suggestions for helping me get to sleep.

Moneywise, I’ve tried my damndest to stick to a budget while in Beijing, and I largely have. Unfortunately, going away parties and a social life have slowly chewed away at my funds. A Canadian dollar worth about 20% less than what it was when I arrived does NOT help (though it means the MASSIVE chunk of money I get back from my dorm payment is more favorably exchanged into Canadian). I have enough left to get me through if I’m REALLY stingy and don’t buy anything big, but like I said it’s getting less and less. I haven’t touched my line of credit or my credit card yet though, so there’s always options. I’m not destitute and it’s not like I’m nickel-and-diming myself out of a good time, so most of it’s just needless obsessing.

Other than that, not much exciting in the land of Me. I DID get to make a bizarre but tasty “Pumpkin Style Dessert” one of my classmates had received from home in America despite her hating pumpkin pie. So Sarah and I made ‘Dorm-Pie’. It was a weird, weird texture but really tasty. It certainly managed to assuage my pumpkin pie cravings, which is something I’m really missing. Then I remembered Egg Nog and almost cried.

Anyways, as you can see it’s going fairly well. I’m going to tell you all now that I will update sooner. Hopefully I will hold to that promise this time!

Off to see how my towel-stew is going. Hopefully more flexible and less odorous.

Hope this finds you all well,

Nathan

End of Movember

First and foremost, thanks to everyone who donated even a few dollars! All in all, you put together a whopping 285 bucks for the funding of mens cancer research!

And I got to grow a moustache.

All in all, I may have swindled those who donated. Here I get to increase my manliness by at least 3-4 times, while you are parted with your hard-earned dollars.

It's all for a good cause, and I'm going to donate $15 more just to round it up to a nice fat $300 cheque to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Canada.

As promised, I will be posting pictures of the fully formed and unbelievably manly moustache as soon as I can convince someone to be a mo-tographer. Once the position is filled, mo-tographs will follow.

I will not be shaving this bad boy off until I get at least a few photos for you generous folks.

I think you still have time to donate a dollar or two more if you haven't. Just go here: https://www.movember.com/ca/donate/donate-details.php?action=sponsorlink&rego=2022056&country=ca and follow the dead easy instructions.

Thanks again to those that have donated!

- Nathan

A Proper (and LONG) update

(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&rego=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.