SiMaTai Great Wall of China

I went to the great wall of china two years ago and was met with a "meh" kind of feeling. This time however, we went to the steepest portion of the Great Wall and I was blown away! The scenery, the right amount of sunshine and breeze, the lack of other tourists were perfect! Minus the sunburn I got of course. We climbed pretty far - almost to the very top - but then had to head back because our bus was leaving. However, on the way down - we were tired and our legs started to twitch so... we took a zipline down the wall (click here to see the video) which was quickly followed by a boat-ride. A great conclusion to a day trip.

Skirt the dress

Yesterday my skirt was a dress - and the belt, usually wrapped around the waist, was wrapped below the bosom to make a 20's style dress.

We were in the middle of Beijing - a city preparing for the 2008 Olympics - modern and big - we were on a rooftop terrace for a 20s themed office party and were accompanied by a pianist, a wii, barbeque, and other 20s costumed guests. It was surreal - a page from The Great Gatsby - as if the bourgeoisie invaded us at that moment.

We met a Swedish professor teaching human rights at Peking University and socialized with interns from Ireland, Netherlands, UK, France, US, the list goes on. The liquid language of choice for conversations was English. As always, the last remnants of conversation boiled down to who would win the US presidential elections next year.

It's times like these I wonder "how did I get here?" How can fiction be so factual?

Today, my dress is a skirt, the belt below my bosom is now relaxed around my waist - a page from The Chronicles of Carol.

Indie Rock

Yes! - One thing to do in Beijing is off my list - and it left me wanting more. At first I was skeptical - really? Chinese Indie rock? I mean - I heard of Chinese pop - or as I would call - the Chinese version of JT - and I want to kill myself after hearing it for an hour... how would I feel about indie rock?

On saturday, I went to a live indie rock concert in the middle of Beijing beside a drive in theater - and I could only describe this location by what I was feeling - in awe. It was everything a little indie bar needed to be - a place to drink outside, a small venue for the intimate feeling, and cheap beers that swam down your throat.

The band - 3 chinese people and a swedish drummer - were great! The set was short but it made me fall in love with indie again - even if it was mandarin and I only understood half of what the singer was saying. The bass and drums just carried me back to the starlight room back in Edmonton - I love concerts.

We met the band after - but only to loose them after the taxi ride. Flashback to calgary when we met a grammy nominated band and I freaked the lead singer out with my stalkerish quality of asking the same questions over and over again - sorry, I tend to forget quite easily when I am drunk. Don't worry - I don't think it happened this time again - although that would explain how we lost the band...

Overall - f-ing A good time and gong-show!

Random Bus Conversations

...all in one bus ride

The Cat Story
Chinese girl: "My cat ran away for three months, and then my dad found him, and she had babies after a while, and then a couple of months later she had more babies."
me: wow, your cat is very promiscuous...
her: pro-mis....
me: your cat likes to...
her: likes to...
me: your cat likes to...
her: ...
me: let's move on.

Military Training (In the first person of the Chinese person)
All children in China have to go to military training. It lasts for two weeks where it is endurance training out in the sun. Even if you are a girl, you have to do it. My friend was allergic to the sun and she still had to do it, no exceptions. They have military training so we know how soldiers feel. My dad wants me to do it again because he says I am lazy. They make you run 1070 meters starting at noon. Some children do it three times, some just once, depends on what school you are from.

Wash your hair with rice water
What? The jist is - on the bus, there are flashes of "fun facts." I was reading one: You should reuse your rice water to wash your laundry...oh okay, what? This tidbit was to improve the environment. I asked my friend about it - and then she said you should actually wash your hair with the same water you wash your rice with. (really?) Ya! It makes your hair milky soft! (Okay! Right, I'll get on it!)

I got hit by a bike (again)

Story is - two years ago, as the teacher stated "You do not have right of way here, make sure you watch where you are going," - I replied "I'm pretty sure if we cross as a group we will not get hit" - as those words left my mouth - A bike hit my leg - okay - mental note - watch where I am going.

Goal for this China trip was to NOT get hit by a bike - I failed my goal. It was early in the morning, I was following a random girl and all of a sudden - Bang! A handle bar hit my arm and the guy struggled to regain his balance as I was in shock. I turned around and saw that he was still disoriented - and now being a true Beijinger - I shrugged my shoulders and walked on. In Canada I would usually see if he was okay - but when in China - be as rude as they are ;)

AND then!!! I had the funnest bus ride ever! The bus driver had diarrhea - he stopped the bus and ran away. He came back after a couple of minutes - and then the gong show began. Picture a bus full of people - literally back to back - one of those you don't even need to hold anything because other people are holding you up - THIS bus, is speeding down the street because we are late. It stops to let people off, let people on, and then the ticket lady at the back of the bus shouts " go! go! go!" - this happens for three stops - the most comical bus ride I had EVER had!

This was followed by a meeting that we had where a Chinese girl and I (mostly the chinese girl) tried to sell AIESEC to the company. I loved this because it was motivational to see someone to market so well for her first marketing call. I could not ask for a better person to meet with - the guy was genuine and nice!

A day at the ZOO

My favourite is probably the baby on the mommy monkey :) The saddest thing in the zoo? - the tucan bird that lost the top of it's beak somehow :(

So! the day at the zoo was kind of funny. I had 3 hours of sleep the night before so was moving like molasses. Right outside the zoo were dinosaurs because there was a pre-historic museum there - I felt like I was at the Calgary zoo.

Upon entering the zoo - the very first thing I saw- and I thought, what? really? - were Canadian geese. Wow - first the dinosaurs then the geese - did I travel back to Canada and not know it?

Pandas, oh my - these are nice ones, but there was one dirty, patchy and tre sad one :(

Overall impression - zoos are pretty much the same everywhere and... I think I grew out of the phase when zoos were once fun haha. And yes - some parts were sad - I still like the Canadian (Calgary and Vancouver - the only ones I visited) the best.

China is Random

...and so is this post, welcome to a day in my life in China - narrated via photos.


That's right - a leopard skin bike seat!

Hey - who needs staples when you gots this!

I broke my nail - it ripped off - and the thing is - I have no clue how.

I think I have big feet

...that's why people keep on staring at my feet, even if they are NOT in flip flops and are in Puma knock offs. Or perhaps they are so afraid of eye contact that they have nothing to stare at but my feet.

Right now I am sitting in the MC's (member committee/national team) house and am researching on what companies to contact and how to go about doing my job here... I needed a break so decided to blog.

Random funnies:
1. Going to the bookstore in China and encountering the "English Gramma" section.
2. Walking down the streets and realizing that I need to pay attention because I have no right of way - no worries people! I haven't been hit by a bike OR car yet - but I don't plan to.
3. Having the ability to reminisce about the time I had a Korean BBQ night in Beijing with the Chinese MC team including a Costa Rican, a Britain, CEEDer from Denmark, CEEDer from Australia, Intern from Poland... I really hope I did not forget anyone - and some general members of AIESEC :)
4. Walking down the street and hearing backstreet boys - not once but twice in two different locations... I guess they are still popular

Depressive moments that can be considered as funny:
1. Wanting to kill myself while listening to Chinese music - it's okay, in small doses... but so pop - picture the era of N'sync and Mandy Moore.
2. Insert number 4 from "random funnies"
3. Celebrating that I finally got about 6 hours of sleep straight - dam jet leg! And I still need more sleep!

The best cultural experience

... the one way to immerse yourself and try to accomplish something, something so easy back home but difficult in another language... something so trivial and frightening and exhilarating - IS - getting a haircut in another country!

It's tough. To give someone else your trust and see the outcome. For my own hair - not too bad because I know my hair. But I was helping my friend Asia with her hair, and the hairstylists were explaining to me how they couldn't do the hairstyle she wanted because her hair was too thin or something... anyways - they used for different words and I still did not understand "It's too__ (huh?), It's too___ (uhhh), it's too___ (right...), ah, it's too___ (nope -still mind blank)." - in the end, you just end up laughing your head off.

P.s. it all turned out great! Just try it! Why not? Hair grows back back anyway!

Next step? dying my hair? MAYBE - they said I could streak my hair to look like asia's - I want my hair streaked, but I'm not sure if they meant make me blond like her - ya, that's okay... "next time."

Random adjustments, differences, and good ol cultcha!

Who needs country culture shock when you have AIESEC culture shock?

Crazy. Things I noticed but was easy to adjust to in china:
1. The boys here are shy and will not be forward - even at the clubs and they are dancing around you because they want to dance with you but they just... dance there.
2. I forgot - China has people everywhere - grocery shopping is funny - they have employees at every corner shouting at you, hey buy this!
3. They don't wear flip flops - and if you do - you get stared at - but I still wear them haha. They wear flip flops as indoor shoes and it's very dirty outside so flip flops are not always the best thing...
4. I actually saw blue sky AND the sun the other day - and I said wow, they are improving - and then my friend said - no, that phenomenon rarely happens.

Things that happen to me because I am asian and am in China:
1. Asked for directions (happened to me twice yesterday!) - it which case, I whip out my bad mandarin and say I'm not from here - to which they reply, are you from Korea - yes. haha (NOOooo - but it's less of a hassle if you just agree - because then they start to guess: japan, singapore... anything BUT Canada - and then when you say Canada - they say... but you are not white...)
2. People talk fast in Mandarin here - and I understand quite a bit, but then trying to talk back - its slow and excruciating on the listener's end - I swear they think I'm stupid - so I usually throw in that I'm not from here - to which they reply - "Oh, then your mandarin is pretty good" - which is better than "Is this chinese person handicapped?"

Now, the AIESEC culture shock... dun dun dun...
1. Not sure if it's because I am living with the National team - BUT, they literally work 24/7 - and it's a holiday here haha. Seriously! I go to bed and they are still talking about AIESEC - wow, to be that passionate! Which brings me to...
2. One life. They do not believe in a work life and a party life - because in the end, it's one life, if you like your work, it IS play.
3. Exchange driven. Results driven. In other parts of the world, AIESEC stresses leadership development through project management and VP positions. Here - they believe that leadership development begins when you gain another perspective through an internship :) This explains their high exchange numbers
4. Okay, I need to flip my way of thinking haha. In Canada - you put a job posting on insight and everyone applies - you sift through a lot of different applications. In China, you call students around the world, use your networks to get people to apply - it's because China offers so many jobs, so many that it's hard to distinguish between them - my theory anyway.
5. They started an "accelerated" version of matching/getting the company to sign a contract which I think is absolutely brill. So how we usually do it: talk to company, get them to fill out a job questionaire, put it on insight and match. How they do it which also increases the chances of the company taking on an internship? talk to company, get them to fill out a brief job description, sift through the database, narrow down 30 candidates, email/call to see if these SNs are interested and available, present to company and get them to sign if they are interested. Efficient. It is more work if it is not successful but at the same time, it increases your success rate... so why not?

Vancouver to China

As soon as I landed in Vancouver airport, I saw why friends would often refer to the island as "Hong Kong number two." I got onto my plane and swear I was the most white person there - and I'm not even white! It was mostly because everyone on the plane was speaking mandarin (well, in the section I was in).

But let me just reminisce about Air Canada - entering onto the aircraft, first class seats immediately drew my attention - cut to the scene from "The Holiday" where Cameron Diaz is flying to England in first class - I remember thinking to myself: that's not how first class looks like, it's too pimped out - but alas, I was proven wrong. There were three columns of chairs/beds and each chair had a foot rest and a fancy pillow - at this point, I was tre jealous. But then I saw my section - I definitely knew I had a newer plane - the roofs were higher, the chairs were a beautiful blue, and the television that each individual person had included a plug in for your laptop, a USB connector, and a choice of movies, television, audio, games, and something else... Now, before coming onto this 11hour ride to China, I downloaded Music and Lyrics and other various movies to watch - well I did not need it. I didn't even read the book I had with me! I was planning to sleep on the plane but the movie marathon of Bridge to Terebethia, Catch and Release, Music and Lyrics, Pan's Labyrinth, and Charlotte's Web prevented me from doing so haha.

Fast forward to landing in China. While at the luggage cart I saw my Edmonton friend (who incidentally went to China with me two years back) - he flew from San Fran and landed 20 minutes before me. It was great! And after that I was picked up from an AIESEC person and we cabbed to the national team's house. A lot can change in two years - they planted a lot more trees beside the highway for the Olympics. Beijing looks so much nicer green! The bird's nest stadium looks absolutely amazing - I didn't actually think it was possible to build - it was so amazing that I forgot to take a picture!

And now the fun stuff - culture shock!
1. I discovered that the adapters that I brought do not work with my laptop because my laptop is three-pronged and the adapters only have two holes - it worked in Cuba but not here :( Luckily - if I stay in the living room, there are some adapters/plug ins that work...I just hope it really does work and I don't start a fire by accident.
2. There are about 10 people living in the house and many of them come and go - so I will not have a permanent room - I will be switching between rooms when the team go on city visits.
3. It is May long weekend here - a seven day holiday. Everyone was partying until 5am the night before I came (or the morning I came) and so did not want to go out again :(
4. I've been told that the national team likes to sleep in, it is currently 8:51 am and I am the only one in the living room - so I gather this much is true... unless they left the house already :(
5. Showering makes the whole bathroom floor wet - I'm not too sure what the right showering etiquettes are...

Highlights:
1. getting drunk/tipsy with my Edmonton friend off of one beer because we were both jet legged, the cost? 50 cents I think...
2. the flashbacks of all the memories from my china trip two years back - including seeing the sign "toast" and remembering my friend reading it as "to ast."
3. Being told I was like a gift from Canada because I was showing an AIESECer our branded material (website and marketing packages).
4. Free internet at the house! - meaning unlimited emails home - but I have to be careful of not doing that too often and start discovering the city more :)

Learnt lessons: communicate more, it was so hard to yesterday because I was so out of it. But I'll probably feel less out of place if I ask more questions :).

Waiting at the Edmonton Airport

We are boarding in 10 minutes... but I'll let the eager beavers load before I do :)

I have free wireless here and am taking advantage of it. Unfortunately this leaves less battery power for watching movies on the plane - and the recharger is in my luggage - woohoo! Good thing I checked my email though - I helped "design" - or as I like to say, stumble through a program and played with it - anyways, I helped "design" a shirt and they needed adjustments - I spent my last hour in Edmonton tinkering with this :)

So far so good :) I was a bit over my weight limit for my luggage but because I was overly nice to the flight attendent lady who was there since 4:30 am and who got off in an hour - I was not charged - it DOES pay to be nice :)

Also, because of the numerous flights to conferences - I now know not to buy the newspapers because - even though I am flying with Air Canada - I know that Westjet offers free newspapers at their terminals - needless to say - I grabbed that :)

Feelings right now? Anxious, this is my first solo international flight! But no worries! I'll pretend I'm on amazing race (again), but with the perk of having someone at the Beijing Airport picking me up.

Until my landing in China, Ciao!