Coming to an end

I have just about a week left in Beijing- two months has NEVER flew by this quickly before for me. I have to say that I’m excited and a little sad about it, but like I have said before, I’m ready for the next chapter of my life. I spent the last week taking care of last minute things I wanted to do and finishing up some shopping. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to completely get everything done and I will explain why in just a little bit.

Chinese people are all about tea; they drink its morning, noon, and night, and it can be found in every restaurant or market. I’ve never been much into tea but when I’m living in a place so obsessed with it as China, I figured I might as well see what all the fuss is about. Last Wednesday I went to a tea making class with some friends where they told us some of the history behind tea including the types available, and how to prepare it (which is as easy as it sounds). There was also a tea tasting which I took a liking too. The particular type of tea were focused on was called Pu’er , pronounced ‘poor’, and is only grown in 4 provinces in China and nowhere else on the planet. I thought there would be some elaborate-complicated- traditional method to prepare the tea (as they made it seem) but the instructor literally poured boiling water into a teacup containing the Pu’er over and over again. Since the quality of the tea is so pure and contains no other ingredients, only a small handful of tea leaves were able to produce over 3 gallons of tea for the group; I myself must have had 1 gallon because I was in love with the tea. Unfortunately this indulgence didn’t agree with my stomach later that night, but I’ll stop there and spare you the image. I was going to purchase some of this rare tea for myself to bring back to the states but then I remembered that I don’t have the patience to do what she did at home, so I’ll just stick to Lipton instant-tea. It was a good experience and a fun way to spend my Wednesday evening for sure.

As I mentioned before, I planned on spending my Saturday doing some last minute gift shopping before it becomes too late. I went out with my friend Heather to my favorite market, the Silk market, which started off pretty good. By this point I am an expert in the fine art of bargaining with the Chinese locals so I was able to get everything I went for at very little cost. Despite being called “a shit head” by one merchant in particular, it was a good shopping day. While on our way to a local jewelry market the sky opened up and hurricane China hit before we knew what was happening. We managed to make it back to the apartments pretty quick luckily. The storm did not let up and Beijing was actually in a state of emergency within a couple hours. By the next morning Beijing experienced the worst rainstorm in the last six decades which left 37 people dead in its wake. Widespread flooding, building damage, and power outages were seen but thankfully my area, Shuangjing, did not get it too bad. What a way to end my weekend!

By this time next week I will have all my belongings packed and ready. I’m very excited to see my family, girlfriend, and best friend Jocelyn Tannenbaum (pool part, woot woot! and crispy tiger prong sandwiches FTW). What an experience this has been!

It’s been about 2 weeks since my last post, and I apologize to for that. Life move fast here in Beijing and I barely even noticed the time since. The new group of interns arrived on July 5th and they are a pretty good bunch so far. My new roommate is a nice kid named Tom from Australia and he’s been getting used to the area quite well, especially since I’m basically a Beijing tour guide at this point into my internship. A lot has happened since two weeks ago so allow me to share with you!

This past Wednesday was a CRCC event so all the old and new interns can have a chance to meet and interact. Karaoke in China is pretty much a national past time so we went to a place called Radio KTV right around the corner from the apartment complex and rented out the biggest room in the building; all in all about 60 of us were there. The room had about 6 different karaoke stations all playing in unison so the entire room can enjoy the music simultaneously. Mix a bunch of expats, karaoke, and free alcohol together and you will get on interesting night. I found myself belting out a few songs myself, and showing off my dance moves, of course. I managed to snap a picture or two and you can see what I mean when you see them…

Thursday and Friday after work were two separate B&D Law Firm company events. The first was an introduction dinner for a new major client the company just picked up – the former VP of the Oracle Corporation. In case you don’t know Oracle is the third largest software company in the world after Microsoft and IBM, with a market value of over $78 Billion. The client is starting up an internet company similar to eBay here in China so this is a very important case for the firm – and I get to be a part of it! The following day was a company dinner to celebrate the success of the firm and to just enjoy each other’s company. The food at both events was…interesting to say the least. But as to not disrespect the host and restaurant I ate it all. Also, the Chinese love their wine and vodka so I was unable to refuse a toast as it would show disrespect. Needless to say by the end everyone was taking cabs home.

Saturday night I met up with my old friend ‘apple juice girl’ (Golriz) and her new roommates, Heather and Claudia to have some dinner and explore Beijing a little. They are all in law school so it was nice to talk to them and get some feedback. We met two of Golriz’s friends from law school here who are visiting Bejing together. They are this really nice couple who have been traveling around the world together before they start school back up. Interestingly, they met in Israel about 3 years ago – he was studying to be a Rubbia and she was there visiting – and have been together ever since. She, being Catholic from Hawaii, even converted to Judaism for the sake of their relationship. It was great to all sit together and speak about life and traveling and just about everything else we could fit in a 3 hour dinner. They took us to the Muslim restaurant (because everything has to be kosher) and the food was very, very delicious. There was even a belly dancer who came out to perform every 15 minutes. It was one of the better dining experience I had while in Beijing and it really heighten my desire to travel and culture myself even more so than I am now. My goal now is to finish what I started in 7th grade and get back to my roots by learning Spanish and maybe next time visit Spain.

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We had nothing else better to do today, Sunday, so my roommate and I joined a group of newbies going to the Great Wall. I guess we liked it so much the first time we wanted to do it again! Today marks two more weeks in Beijing before I head home; it is hard to believe how fast time has flown by. The feeling is bitter-sweet, but I look forward to the next chapter of my life.

This past Wednesday was another event sponsored by CRCC for all of us interns. It was a business seminar about starting and operating your own business in China, which as you can imagine, is very complex. The event was held at a local bar called Hidden Bar, named so because the bar literally is pretty much hidden. There is only one small sign for it outside and it’s underground. However, this bar instantly became my favorite venue I have been to while in China. The owner is a fellow American from New Orleans who came here 8 years ago and has built up a reputation around Beijing as a man to go to when you need a job, a place to stay, merchandise, just to name a few. I would compare him to Rick Blaine played by Humphrey Bogart from Casablanca. There are always drink specials and CRCC interns get 2 for 1 drinks every day, any time. The bar also had a huge selection of hookah (see previous blog post) and a section where you take your shoes off and sit around on cushions and pillows to enjoy.

Two local entrepreneurs came to speak to us about how they came to be in China and start their businesses, one called Gung Ho Pizza and the other is an internet discount store for foreigners in Beijing called IJustWannaBuy.com. They spoke for about an hour on the process and benefits, in their opinion, of a China operated business. Afterwards we all stayed and had drinks and hookah and enjoyed each others company. After work today my co-workers invited me out to play some American pool and have dinner afterwards. Although they call it American pool the rules were not exactly what I was used to. I blame that as the reason I lost so many times…

Pretty low key week for the most part; tonight were all going back to Hidden Bar for a special event. I cannot remember the name of the artist for the life of me but there is going to be live music performed by an American keyboardist who has played with bands like The Eagles, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, and that’s all I can remember - going to be a great night. I also purchased tickets today with 3 other interns for the China National Ballet on July 30th at the Beijing National Grand Theater (see picture below). A lot to look forward to!

Beijing Summer Palace

Time seems to be flying by over here in Beijing; all of one month interns have only one week left in China before they head home. I’ll be back before I know it. What makes things go by even faster is how much we do during the weekends. This weekend was a national holiday known as the “Dragon Boat Festival” so we had Friday off from work – what a nice three day weekend. The Dragon Boat festival is celebrated every year with boat races in the shape of dragons. Unfortunately Beijing does not hold these boat races so I was unable to attend a race. We spent our Friday off hopping around to different markets here. The first market we went to, known as Panjiayuan Antique Market. This market was different than the other ones that we have been to because the other markets were indoors and sold electronics, and fake name band jewelry, clothing, shoes, etc. This market, however, sold traditional Chinese antiques, vases, statuettes, china, and Chinese jewelry – rows and rows of jewelry. This is the kind of place girls would spend all day at because there must have been about 200 vendors selling all types of jade, pearl, precious stone, and wooden jewelry. I picked up a few small trinkets while my roommates both purchased a hand carved chess set. We will be going back to this market for sure.

Saturday I met my co-workers and fellow B&D Law intern at the famous Summer Palace on the outskirts of Beijing. The palace was once used at a summer getaway for the Emperor and his family members. In 1993 the Summer Palace was added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) world heritage list, a prestigious list of places with outstanding cultural and/or physical significance. The massive estate is filled with acres of recreational forest, lakes, temples, pavilions, halls, palaces, and bridges. Exploring the entirety of the Summer Palace would take almost 2 days. It was great to go with my co-workers because they were able to explain some of the architecture and stories behind certain structures that I would have otherwise been oblivious to. There was one section on the palace know has Suzhou Market Street which was built along a river runoff of Back Lake which had shops, banks, pawn shops, and restaurants all along it. Unfortunately, much like some of the Summer Palace, the original Suzhou Market Street was burned down and destroyed by Anglo-French allied forces in 1860 during the Second Opium War. However, when it was rebuilt in the 1990 they followed the original blueprints in order to preserve its original luster. Along this market river/street, we came across a vendor who turned your English name into a work of art consisting of animals, dragons, bamboo, flowers, and geographical features. My co-workers chipped in and purchased one for myself, the other intern, and his girlfriend as a gift. It was a great gesture of kindness from them and now according to Chinese custom, I am obligated to repay them with a gift so I have to think of a great one.

Afterwards we all found a nice spot within the palace and had a little picnic together. My co-workers all brought traditional Chinese snacks, foods and drinks to share with us. One food in particular caught me by surprise, being that just two weeks ago I got food poisoning from trying new food. It was slices of pigs head, boiled and packaged in deli style containers. As bad as it sounds it was actually pretty delicious – no food poisoning either! The picnic was a great time for us to all talk about culture, history, politics and other interesting topics. Being that I am from the US, my co-workers are Chinese, and the other intern is from France, it was nice to hear how different and sometimes similar the three countries can be. Afterwards, we explored a bit more and left a few hours later. All in all my day at the palace was some of the most fun I have had.

That night a few of us went out to a restaurant known as One Thousand and One Nights Restaurant to enjoy a few drinks and to indulge ourselves in the restaurants famous selection of shisha. Shisha, also known as Mu’assel, is syrupy tobacco that is mixed with molasses and chucks of fruit which give the smoke the flavor of the fruit which is used. Don’t worry, mom, it is completely LEGAL and there are even hookah bars in major cities in the US. The restaurant is located in Beijing’s club/bar district which should only take about 25 minutes by taxi. Unfortunately at that time of night it is almost impossible for foreigners to get a taxi and the ones who do stop try to cheat you out of money by paying a ridiculous cab fare. About an hour later we finally we able to find an honest cab driver and begin our night; we had the same problem going back home too.

Acrobatics show

This past Wednesday CRCC planned this month’s cultural event for all the interns – there are 79 of us by the way, and next month there will be 110. For the event we went to see the Peking Acrobatics Show right here at the Chaoyang Theater (Peking is the traditional name for Beijing, FYI). The show travels all over China similar to the Barnum and Bailey Circus back in the states and tickets to see them perform are highly sought after. And for a good reason too; the show, although it was short, was spectacular. Amazing feats of strength, balance, coordination, and acting. There was even an act where 8 motorcycles were driving all around this large metal sphere all at once, barely avoiding collision while driving sideways and upside down. My favorite section of the show was entitled “Hercules” in which a few performers performed acts of superhuman strength. They were lifting themselves and their fellow acrobats up in the air and balancing them on body parts like they were as light as a feather. There was even a part where a female performer literally danced ballet on the wingspan of a male performer as he walked around stage. I have never seen anything like it before in my life.

Work has been going pretty well for me. My supervisors are extremely friendly and they all speak English, being that they are part of the law firm’s international relations department. I even went to the gym the other day with them to play some badminton and ping pong. Needless to say I did NOT do too well. Also, Chinese do not believe in air conditioning apparently so I was dying in there. They told me to avoid rush hour traffic by coming into work after rush hour and leaving before it starts! A 10:00-4:30 work day is a win in my book. They have me doing a lot of research on US laws and how they related and are applicable to Chinese law; the two are surprisingly similar. I have also been helping them to understand merger and acquisition and intellectual property law, since the translations from English to Chinese, and vice-versa, are often skewed. This Saturday we are all meeting at the Beijing Summer Palace to do some sightseeing together so that will be nice.

The firm’s senior partner, Mr. Andy Gu, is also incredibly friendly and polite towards me and the other intern working at the firm (a nice kid from France who is here on his own). Mr. Gu offered to drive me home from work today being that his home is just down the road from my apartment. During the drive we spoke about law in China and the US, Chinese culture and traditions, Beijing economy, and even politics which I found out is a sensitive subject in China. China is a single-party state when it comes to politics and that party is the Communist Party of China. There is no voting, or bi-partisanship, or elected officials in China which we are so used to in the US. Mr. Gu told me that people here have grown accustomed to this trend and there seems to be no forecast for change anytime in the near future. Makes you appreciate the system we have back at home regardless of how ‘rigged’ you may consider it to be.

Great Wall of China

This weekend was some of the most fun I have had in a while (partly because I was no longer sick and damning the entire country of China!). Friday was a scheduled CRCC event for all the interns at the Beijing Huiling Community Service for People with Learning Disabilities. It’s a wonderful charity organization here in China that helps to empower those with mental disabilities, providing them with an outlet to interact with other people through arts, physical activities, and community gatherings. As soon as we all got there they put on a show for us that featured choreographed dances, Chinese rapping, singing, and even a little acting play. You can tell how excited they were to be performing for us foreigners; they even had some of us dance and sing along with them. Afterwards we did some arts and crafts and had a nice opportunity to interact with them. All in all it was a very nice event.

On Sunday we visited a section of the Great Wall of China. This is by far my favorite place I have visited while in China, and possibly one of my favorite places I have EVER visited. A group of 25 of us rented a bus for the day to drive us out to the Great Wall. The ride took about an hour and a half which isn’t too bad. The entrance to get to the wall started at the bottom of a hill and you can either walk up a trail (about 20 minutes) or take a gondola for an extra 50 yuan ( 6.3 yuan equals 1 USD). Only three of us including myself took the gondola, but it was so worth it. The view from up there along the ride was breath taking. You could see mountains all around you with little villages at the foot of each, and the Great Wall spreading out in either direction. We got to the top a little before the walking crowd so we met them on top of the Great Wall. Just walking on top you can see out for miles around you; a very beautiful sight. We started walking along the wall and that was an experience in itself.

When the sections of the wall were built beginning in the 7th century BCE, they were built along the tops of mountains following their every twist, turn, rise, and drop. As a result, some sections are nice and flat, while a few hundred feet away it’s extremely steep! Well, this is exactly what we experienced the whole way; STEEP!! Some stair cases looked as if they were almost going completely straight up and it was very nerve wrecking. Every few thousand feet there is a watch tower where we would rest, look at the amazing scenery, and take pictures. These high tourist traffic areas of the Great Wall are renovated and kept nice so they look how they did hundreds of years ago. But the majority of the entire Great Wall in China is run down and falling apart, almost to the point where it is unrecognizable.

Eventually on our hike along the wall we reached a sign that read “No further entrance,” and for a good reason. It was at this point the renovations had stopped and the wall was overrun with forest, beginning to fall apart in some places. Of course as tourists, we didn’t pay mind to this sign and kept going, and I am happy we did. This was this side of the Great Wall I wanted to see; the run down, historic looking, no other tourists around, secluded part. We had to work our way around bushes and weeds while walking, and even avoid little parts where the wall had broken off and the cliff was exposed (I know my mother is not too happy with me right about now). We got to where a watch tower should be, but at this point it was collapsed and a pile of bricks. Of course, we climbed to the top of what was left of the tower and the view was something I will never forget in my life. Completely indescribable.

A few German tourists were walking back towards us from further along the dilapidated wall, who advised us to go no further because the hike was not worth it. So, we took a few more pictures and made our way back. Rather than walking or taking a gondola back down the mountain, wall all paid about 40 yuan to take a toboggan down which was AWESOME! We all had our own personal toboggan which ran along this scenic metal course to the bottom of the mountain. And I must say these little things were very, very fast; I almost fell out during a turn or two. All in my entire trip to the Great Wall was incredible. It was exactly the experience I wanted.

China Waste Management

My mother’s comment on my previous blog post brought up quite an interesting topic I neglected to mention when talking about my first observations about China; the TOILETS! Since Beijing is still a developing country, for the most part, the sewage system here is not as advanced as we are used to in the United States. When wandering around China you will most likely run into one of three different types of toilets: Western, squat, and Hutong. (By the way, those were placed in that order for a reason, you will see why).
The first is what we are all used to; the Western toilet. This is only seen in hotels, international apartments, schools – basically any place where there will be a large foreign influence for an extended period of time. This is by far the cleanest and least awkward of the three. Locals consider these ‘high class.’
The squat toilet is essentially what is sounds like; a porcelain hole in the floor where a Western toilet should be. Thankfully these are placed in separate stalls so no one can see you squatting over a hole with your pants down at your ankles. These are the most common toilets in the Beijing area as well as other large cities. Operating these things for the first time was extremely difficult for me. I didn’t know how far down to squat or if I would get any on my pants (sorry for the image). After a while you get the hang of it, but what I’ll never get used to if the fact that you are NOT supposed to throw your used toilet paper down the drain. Again, sewage in Beijing is weak and cannot handle it. Instead there is a waste basket next to the toilet where you throw your paper into…yes, a basket full of used toilet paper.
The last type of toilet you’ll find here in China is the Hutong, and I hope I never see one of these. The hutong is found in a wooden structure usually out in public, rural areas. A line of partially tilted boxes are against the wall where you set your rear end into and begin using. Absolutely NO privacy. Oh, and there is no sewage system so everything is collected in a hole under the building. I haven’t experienced this but I’ve been told on a hot summer day in Beijing the fermenting feces can be smelled even from the outside. Ironically enough, once a week a ‘hygiene truck’, as it’s so wonderfully named, comes to suck up all the waste.
I’m happy to say my apartment is fully service with a Western toilet and a decent sewage system. Welcome to Beijing!