Live the life you have imagined: July 2007

Wednesday, 25 July 2007

Harry Potter and the Beijing Hallows

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Well last Tuesday was the worst (pollution) day I've had in Beijing so far. It was so hot it was nearly unbearable and the pollution index was the worst for my three weeks here. Levels go from 1 - 5: Level 1 is baseline pollution essentially, Level 5 is carcinogenic so don't go outside. The G have declared they don't want Beijing to get above Level 2 (which isn't great) but this was Level 3 and buildings a 100m away were fuzzy through the photochemical smog. Nice.

The wee hours of Wednesday morning thankfully saw a storm hit and clean it all away. And Thursday made up for it, being the best day in Beijing I've had with almost clean air and gorgeous blue skies.

While wondering the city I found lots of funky shops in an area called Nanlugu Xiang. I nearly bought this beautiful hand-made Chinese quilt, except I didn't have enough money on me at the time (my new cunning ploy to not buy stuff. Don't carry too much money). There was also a Laos lamp in another shop I might have to go back for too... oh, it's so easy to spend in China. But, hey, I do need to furnish and beautify my house. As my friend pointed out, I'll be all out of excuses when I actually finish decorating to which I slyly replied, does one actually ever really FINISH decorating a house? I say no!

On Saturday, Annie came over after it all to help me find my water delivery man, get my bike (named 'Guava') fixed, and set up DVD player menu to English. I naturally took her to lunch so we tried out one of the many restaurants in my hutong, and afterwards we pottered around the central shopping area, buying big maps of China to put on our walls, and sampling more of China's wares.

Later that day to allow the crowds to ease, I went to to the Wangfujing Bookshop to get the new HARRY POTTER! Yes, they do sell it here for the fairly reasonable sun of Y187 (AUS$30) but I did see it at the Foreign Languages Bookstore (which is actually a really great bookstore) for the more hefty sum of Y280 (AUS$45). But that wasn't stopping anyone, just as publishers knew it wouldn't when they set the price, rubbing their hands with glee. I have finished it so if anyone wants to discuss, let the fingers fly across your keyboard!

Sunday was a shopping day, we went back to Panjiayuan Markets (the absolutely enormous market I went to last week). I was looking for paintings/prints or wall hangings to cover my shoddy walls, and I really loved some of them but was a little tired so didn't really get in the mood to ask and buy. I will definitely go back again when I'm more energised though. More shopping at a multi-storey clothes/wares/electronics market where I also successfully not to not buy anything, and was almost home and clear when I just stopped to look at a little clothing store I have often admired but have never gone into. Well, the girl was quite the salesperson, I found one pair of shorts that looked like it would fit me and every time I came out the changing room with something on, the girl was right there with another thing for me to try on. And she was very good, all but one did fit me! When she started to also give me tops to try, I really had to insist "gou le!" (done, finished!). But, at least now I have enough clothes to get through a whole week without having to do a load of laundry. Handy, as I can't actually use my washing machine until I find 4 screws for it. My kingdom for a Bunnings.

This week I braved the traffic and now bike to work! I wore my helmet, everyone stared, but my theory is that if everyone is staring at me then at least they SEE me and so won't hit me. I am considering wearing a face mask too for the pollution to really stand out then though I may cause accidents as everyone turns and stares, I won't be in the accidents. Safety first! The rest of the week has been so far uneventful, though I'm not feeling so hot. There's a lot of people with Summer Colds as they call it here, but I am mostly fine really except for my throat which is made worse by the ambient deadly pollution. Am I frightening any of you yet?

Monday, 23 July 2007

"Beijing Time": not quite the worst possible moment but nearly

They talked about "Pacific Time" at our pre-departure training. About how things in the Pacific happen in their own time and to accept it as there's nothing you can really do about it. Well, I've coined a new phrase; Beijing Time. No one told us about Beijing Time.

It's when if something (not necessarily something bad) is going to happen, it won't happen at the worst possible moment, but nearly. Nothing will ever happen at a time to make it remotely dangerous or anything. Beijing is an amazingly safe city, and the government might notice if it's foreigners started to drop dead and NO ONE wants to be under the attention of the government. So that rules out the worst possible moment, leaving the next most inconvenient time instead... Beijing time.

For example, I felt like I was really in China on Friday night. After a very long hot polluted day, I came home, turned on my a/c and air purifier, stepped under the shower with great relief, lathered my hair... and all the lights went out. My electricity was cut.

Not quite the worst possible moment, but nearly.

To be honest, it's actually my fault. Electricity here is mostly on a pre-paid system, like the mobile phones. You go to a branch of ICBC (the biggest bank in China) put money on a card, stick it in the slot below your electricity meter and the numbers go up according to how much money you put on the card. I knew I was low, but didn't realise how little time I had left. For future reference, 44 units doesn't last more than a few days. I've been carrying the card round with me looking for an ICBC branch but they have always just closed for lunch/the day, or there's a huge queue and I don't have time. Fool that I am.

So, I had 30 seconds of hot water left so I rinsed and washed as best I could, felt my way out of the bathroom and into my bed. I had my laptop playing music so I had a little light by which to manoeuvre and some music for company. Planning to just get up early, find an ICBC in the morning, I wrote in my journal by the torch on my phone (which was thankfully mostly charged) and tried to sleep despite the heat. I had to have the window open all night for relief so I had a lovely pollution cough this morning. And just as I was drifting off to sleep the though occurred to me: do banks even open on Saturdays?

Not quite the worst possible moment, but nearly.

Well, I slept intermittently as the noise from the street below woke me fairly often and I awoke as usual before my alarm went off. Knowing if the bank would be open, it wouldn't be before 8:30 or 9:00 so I pottered around for awhile, then left on my quest.

Which direction to head was a 50/50 decision, which are never good odds for me. Beijing is designed around ring roads, the Forbidden City walls being the first and each getting further apart the further out you go, like a ripple in a pond. I live just inside the South-Eastern most corner of the 2nd ring road and across the 2nd ring road to the South is my bank and several others; to the West is a more major CBD area. I decided it was worth trying closer and after a long walk that ended me nearly to the CBD to the West anyway, I found an ICBC that opened on a Saturday from 9am. Horrah! Except, it was 9:05 and there was no light on. And no people.

There was a sign on the door in Chinese and I can only guess what it said: "We apologise, but on the 2007 July 21, the Wangfujing Sub-Branch of the International Commercial Bank of China will be closed for your inconvenience. There is no reason for this closure, this is China, we'll do what we like. Michelle: keep walking."

So I did. I walked, eventually found another branch and nearly cheered when I saw someone walk out signifying it was in fact open for business. I went in, got in what I hoped was the right queue, got a man insisting I write down my "reference" (he meant amount), charged the card, randomly gave me Y2.84 change and sent me on my way. Relieved, I went home, stuck the card in the slot, the numbers changed... and nothing happened. No lights, no nothing came on.

Another sigh-laugh and I called my friends to ask if there was something else I needed to do. One didn't answer, another didn't know anything about pre-paid electricity and the last suggested I stick the card into the slot the other way, but I knew that wasn't the problem as the numbers had changed. I thought then maybe the breaker had been tripped, switched it over, and miracle of miracles: there was light. And cool air, and hot water, and clean air nearly 12 hours after it went off.

And the punch line? If I had gone left instead of right at the end of my HuTong when I went in search of an ICBC, I would have seen it's bright red logo. I have one 200m from my house.

I'm sure I have other examples of Beijing Time too, but I can't think of any at the moment (the term is so new) but I'm sure many MANY more examples will follow.

Wednesday, 18 July 2007

Fancy lunches and scrubbing toilets

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Well my second week highlighted the unfairness of the social dichotomy within the class system, i.e. I object to spend that much time cleaning toilets.

I spent much of this week still organising and hunting for accommodation. I was waiting to see if my landlady would change her mind and let me have the flat and well, she didn't: no foreigners. So, Monday morning I was flat hunting again. Found a nice place, still close to work, but it needed a bit of work. Lights, taps and holes in the wall need fixing, and I had to chase the guy all bloody week for it. Am still chasing.

But it has a real toilet (wa-hey) even if it had a few months of crust on the bottom. I scrubbed that toilet within an inch of it's life. I wouldn't eat off it yet, but I'll use it now, which is a vast improvement. My money is slipping away faster than a street hawker at the first sign of police, but really I spent wisely and set up most of the house with less than it would cost me to buy a new Dyson. It was the bond and stuff that got me: you have to pay upfront three months rent, one month bond and one month as fees, and pay another 3 months rent in two months time. And my largest purchase will be my most important: an air purifier!!

Luckily food is so good and so cheap; last week I had the cheapest meal I've ever had. A bun thing (more with the texture of fried bread) with chopped potato and veg filling and a hint of chilli. Yum. And only 0.5 yuan (RMB), or a whopping 3 cents Australian.

But, randomly, do you know they don't have bluetack here?

Anway, when I wasn't running around like a headless chook doing accommodation stuff I was being wined and dined at the Australian Embassy. I was kindly invited to lunch hosted by the Deputy Ambassador's wife in the embassy residential area ("compound") which was a spiffing affair. Mango and Prawn salad, quiche, skewers, lots of fresh salads, and rounded off with seasonal fruits, crème brulee, cheesecake and chocolate mousse. A very colonial expat experience. We were sitting outside on the veranda and one expected to see some giraffes saunter past against the African sunset like they do in movies we don't believe. Dinner that night was also at the Embassy for a bbq Christmas in July dinner, a much more informal affair but again, quite an experience.

And the next day I was scraping toilets. That's Beijing.

Sunday, 8 July 2007

My first week in Beijing

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So much has happened in a week that I feel like I've been here for a year. Where do I begin? I arrived and it was hot and muggy. The next day it (acid) rained. The day after was glorious, and everyday since has been some where in between but always HOT. And in case anyone comes here, it is true what they say about the air pollution unfortunately.
The orientation week was chaotic, mandarin lessons were essential, and accommodation issues are still being sorted. Short version: I looked for ages, all were crap, found a great place (except for the crap bathroom) in the absolute centre of town a whole 5 minutes from work if I stroll, had issues with the incompetent real estate agent and now issues with the landlady who as it turns out, does not want to rent to a foreigner. The agent insists he's convinced here but I'll believe it when she signs the form. I got all excited and went shopping for house stuff (everyone wanted to help me, and between my bad mandarin and miming always manage to muddle through. It's a blast!) but watch this space. I start work next week too, which is cool. I've been to the office and met the people and everyone is so nice I am looking forward to starting.

In the mean time, friends from Canberra who have also just moved to Beijing have kindly let me stay with them and we are having a great time exploring antique markets and restaurants. We went to Liulichang (a great antique/art street) today and I bought the most beautiful oil painting from the artist himself and who was a lovely lovely guy and told me I was a very good haggler, which I'm quite chuffed about. The secret is to start to walk away I've discovered.

Also had the famous Peking roast duck at the famous Quan Jude Roast Duck restaurant, on my friend's great advice and loved it. You get a commemorative card with the number of the duck you're eating, they keep a running tally since 1864. Our duck was 409,839. We called him Bob.

Had dinner with other friends at a great food stall street tonight. I was adventurous and ate starfish on a stick. It was good for about half an arm then made me a bit queasy. Felt like a celebrity/freak when two ladies asked to have their picture taken with me and Charlotte. We were told that people would, and it is because they think we're beautiful so there you go. Off to another really great antique market tomorrow, bright and early (7am!), and so the adventures start...