Back in Beijing

Returning to Beijing resulted in mixed feelings. I spent three months trying to make this

place my home, and just when it starts to feel normal I return to the America for three weeks.

However, nothing feels like getting to sleep in your own bed and lounge on your own couch.

It is also badass to have a roommate again. One of the unexpected downsides of living out

of hotels is the loneliness. I was hoping for more of a Dunsten Checks In kind of vibe. My

journey to the United States did allow me to stock up on some things that I cannot find in

China including music, books, and cloths. I haven’t been able to stop listening to the new Arctic

Monkeys album AM. It’s awesome. I couldn’t find it in Beijing so I picked up a copy while in

America. Also I gained back some of the weight I lost. I didn’t realize how much I missed cheap

Mexican food and Americanized Chinese food. Traveling to America also meant that I could

binge on American sports. Because of the time change (12 hour difference with the east coast),

Chinese bars don’t often show American sporting events live. I took the opportunity to enjoy

the life of the armchair athlete. How about that MLB postseason, right? I’ve some photos of my

trip to pre-government shutdown DC. But after all the traveling, it’s nice to return to my exile in

Beijing.

Real or Real Fake: Booze in Beijing

The first time someone in Beijing warned me about fake alcohol, I thought they were kidding.

You really mean that bars willing knowingly serve their patrons “fake” alcohol to save money?

You bet. One of my friends explained me the difference between the normal alcohol you drink

and the “fake” stuff shady bars occasionally serve. Both will get you drunk, but the fake stuff

we leave you with the worst hangover of your life. Out with friends, I once only consumed

three beers only to awaken the next day with a hangover so terrible it made the room spin.

The “fake” phenomenon quickly explained the Chinese preference for bottled over draft beer.

Also it reinforces the west’s caricature of China as the world’s provider of counterfeit goods.

Sometimes in China, even the beer is fake. But trust me the hangover is all too real.

Great Reads in the Red Capital

While in China, I have been catching up on my reading.  Like many of you, I neglected reading for pleasure in college due to a lack of free time and sobriety.  Now that I have learned firsthand just how boring the working world is, I have filled my free time with some great books from the Bookworm here in Beijing.  I just finished Lonesome Dove, and I can safely say that it is the best book I have ever read.  If you haven’t read this one, do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy from your local library.  Hell, I’ll give you mine if you promise to read it.  My feelings toward Lonesome Dove came as a relief because two of the “classic” novels I read preceding Lonesome Dove disappointed me.  I finished Midnight’s Children in the beginning of July and The Master and Margarita in August.  Both are widely regarded as classics, but I just couldn’t get into the whole magical-realism vibe and I fear that many of the Indian political references in Midnight’s Children went over my head.  I noticed a copy of tMaM on a friend’s family bookshelf while I was staying with them in LA.  His mother couldn’t stop applauding the book, which leads me to believe I missed something while reading.  Or maybe I just didn’t like it.  I started the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy yesterday just because it is so different from Lonesome Dove.  I bought the book years ago at a used bookstore and have always intended to read it.  As I continue my exile here in Beijing, I know I’ll burn through quite a few books this winter while keeping warm (literally and figuratively), and I definitely plan on reading some books by Chinese authors.  Let me know if you have any suggestions.    

Beijing's Smog: Fact and Fiction

The western media tends to over exaggerate Beijing’s smog.  You’ve probably seen it on the news with photos and video of people wearing masks on their way to work, but the truth is it rarely gets to that point.  Before coming to Beijing, I thought I needed to wear a mask every day to stay alive.  Beijing was sort of like a less hospitable version of Mars in my mind, filled with dust storms and no breathable atmosphere to speak of.  Some days are pretty bad, but those wearing masks are definitely in the minority of the population.  Most of autumn has been clear skies with occasional showers.  I think western media’s relationship with Beijing’s smog is representative of Sino-American relations in general.  Alarmist journalists in the United States love to chronicle the rise of the menacing dragon.  Many in the United States view China as this oppressive, amorphous entity bent on suffocating its way to global dominance.  I do believe the PRC needs to change in open, particularly economically, if it plans to continue its rise on the global stage.  However, like the smog, this might be more of a gross over exaggeration.        

Beijing's sky on a smoggy day 

A beautiful day in Beijing

American Vacation

It is strange to tell people that I am traveling in America for business.  Returning to my home nation has proved an interesting experience.  There is so much about the United States that I have missed while living in China.  I am taking the opportunity to watch as much baseball as possible.  How about that NL Central people?  It is crazy.  I am currently in DC for a few days enjoying all of the capital's tourist sites.  Like all mid-westerners, I am programmed to think of the nation's capital as a den of corruption, excess, and incompetence, but the truth is much more complex.  I have found the tourists in the city to be a reflection of the nation as a whole.  You cannot go anywhere without seeing people sporting jerseys of their area's professional sports teams.  The tourists come from all this great nation.  They represent different races, ethnicities, and religions.  They are proud of their home, and they show it by letting everyone in the capital know where they come from.  Seeing the monuments is cool, but being here only makes me more excited to visit Indiana.  Enjoy the photos.  Sorry the Washington Monument is under restoration   

Events and Occurrences from the Past Week

I haven't posted in a little while.  Sure no one really reads my blog anyway, but I like to stay consistent.  Monday, I started tutoring my first English student.  We spent the last 20 minutes of the lesson talking about American baseball (that's right, I get paid for it too).  It turns out my student owned a Yankees hat, he just didn't know what the symbol meant.  During my time here, I have also been lucky enough to visit some of Beijing's great tourist sites.  Included in this post are pictures from the Summer Palace, because I know my only follower is a big fan of pictures.  Other than that, I really haven't been doing too much of anything except working.  My life is slowly devolving into a Chinese language version of the television show The Office.  I like to think of myself as Ryan the Temp.

The Bookworm - My Favorite Place in Beijing

You really have to hand it to the people who run the Bookworm, they know what they are doing.  The establishment clearly caters to ex-patriots, myself included.  It has a fully stocked bar featuring craft beers and the ever popular Pimm's, great food, and of course lots of books.  They really know how to target the expat market really well.  I bought a 1 - year library subscription from them yesterday (cost: 300 RMB).  It's a great deal for me because I can check out books for my English students (see future blog posts for more information).  The place serves as a central-hub for expats from all over the world.  Just the other day, a Swedish man stopped me in the street and asked for directions there.  That's right, just out of the blue, he asked me to help him find this treasured Beijing institution.  I simply had to tell him to follow me, because that was where I was headed.  Their rooftop area is one of Beijing's true gems, and the establishment hosts many events such as movie screenings and author talks.  The movie screenings are geared toward a slightly older crowd and feature some of the biggest movies from the 1980's (before my time).  Whenever I feel homesick or bored, I always make an effort to stop by the Bookworm and browse through the shelves.  And of course have a drink or two.