Beijing expats

Wangfujing Snack Street (the character on the flag is Chuan'r, which means kebab)

Cool knicknacks being sold streetside. I was very tempted to buy the Chairman Mao figurine.

Ritan Park, from the Stone Boat

Cutest baby I have ever seen, I miss him ;)

Current raves: Gobstoppers from Jenny Lou's, Michael Buble singing in the background, Walking around Beijing in this lovely spring weather, seeing my name in print, James Fallows

I know many of you are thinking how the hell is it April already in the year 2009? Wasn't New Years just last week? If you weren't thinking that, you should.

May, June, July....3 months and change and then its back to the United States of America for me. Wow, I know I shouldn't even think about that because the time will fly by even quicker then, and there's still so much I want/need to do in Beijing. First, I need to become comfortable with calling Beijing, BJ. So many grownups do it maturely, I can't. Fail. I'll try to accomplish that before I leave BJ. There.

For work, I've been reviewing a lot of new places/interviewing various celebrities around the city and writing them up for the magazine. I couldn't have asked for a better job in Beijing than writing for such a great publication; and if I could, I'd stay here for another year and continue to do so. Congrats to my fellow Texan, Jess Pan, for becoming Managing Editor of Beijing Kids! She's the same age as I am...24 years old and already a managing editor. Rock on girl.

When I used to visit Beijing before with my parents, trips would be pretty family centered, meaning we'd hang out with family members, my parents' previous students, family friends, etc. I never had much exposure to the larger expat community in Beijing.

When I first landed in Beijing, the first expats I knew in depth were the teachers at the college I teach English at. Super long story short, I did not have a good impression of expats at first because of all the incidents/characters, etc...well, you guys know. We've already discussed things in length, haha. As much as I hated to stereotype, I couldn't help but feel that many people were here because they were creepy old white men who had things for young Chinese girls and they felt they could come here and do whatever they wanted.


Harsh, but true. Once I tapped into the larger network of expats here in Beijing, my horizons expanded and I developed a sincere respect for many of the people I have met. Young families, entrepreneurs, performers, businessmen and women, artists, journalists, lawyers, diplomats, teachers, p.r. people, consultants, non-profits, translators--people going places, people making something of their one precious life.

Its becoming more and more apparent that because of the size of the expat community here, the number of places that people hang out in, the way that a big event will draw all of the major players, etc, via these various channels...the best of Beijing's best all know each other. For example, you can't step into a single place in Beijing with my editor at the Beijinger, Jerry, without everyone saying hi to him. I just finished interviewing the lead singer for a big band here in Beijing, and on his way out of the Bookworm, he stopped and chatted with the owner, a good friend of his. At afterhours margaritas the other night, the owner knew my colleague because they used to do PR together at Ogilvy here in BJ. The owner of a spa that my friend Niffy is obsessed with used to work in marketing at the magazine I write for. At the Hatsune launch party last night in SLT/The Village, I witnessed first hand just how connected this community is. People kept walking in the door, looking around, and exclaiming in delight when they saw good friends. Alan Wong, who (ABC, young, gorgeous) owns 6 or so restaurants/clubs here in BJ, knew everyone. There were a cpl hundred people there last night, and he was still apologizing that he had to cut over 600 ppl from the guest list. Can you imagine throwing a party and your biggest problem is having to cut hundreds of friends from the invite list? You've made it.

My exploring Beijing slowed down this past month because of juggling all the jobs and whatnot, but its been revived with this good spring weather and the making of new friends (and a new bike!!). Joao (I'd say from Portugal, but he's actually lived in like 9 million places) and David (from Cambridge, the real one, not the one we went to school in in the US) and I went to visit Mao's Mausoleum the other day. Despite the line of thousands of people, we were able to make it inside that famed building. Mao was laying there, under the red flag, in all his glory. As much as I respect the man (I did dedicate almost 4 years of my life to studying the China that he created), he did look very orange (the lighting?) and wax-like (his face may be covered in wax but that might be his real body?). It wasn't my first time seeing him, but it had been almost a decade, if not over, since I had gone in. I wish they'd show people a documentary on the highlights of his life before showing people the body. But then again, they have thousands of people lining up at the door to get through in a matter of 4 hrs a day...

This weekend is a quick getaway to the countryside with Adrian. Given that Beijing gets super hot, super quickly, I really gotta take advantage of the temperate weather quick. I'm looking forward to trees, grass, deer, streams, a lake, a cabin...and no ring traffic, people on cell phones, and military training outside of my window EVERY.DAMN.MORNING.STARTING.AT.SIX.AM. OMFG.

The next issue of Agenda Magazine (which comes out this upcoming Monday) has several of my articles....I think I did two interviews, 3 lists, and a cpl reviews. I can't wait to see the finished product. Agenda is the sister magazine to the Beijinger which comes out on the offweeks that the Beijinger doesn't.

This upcoming week is going to be a blast!!

*Cooking classes in a hutong

*Spending time with Ignace (the handsome & awesome general manager of Maison Boulud)

*Publishing my James Fallows interview (deserves to be on NPR or CNN or NYT, for that matter, not bc of my awesome piercing questions but because of his superfreakingawesome answers)

*Trip to the Si Ma Tai section of the Great Wall with Joao, David, Niffy, Carol and 15 of my closest friends. (I had to cut 7,000 people from the list). This section of the wall features the world's longest zipline or something (zip line down from the GW), a gorgeous lake at the foot of the wall, and some of the best scenery ever. I went to Mutianyu a month ago, but the trees were barren and there was still snow on the wall. This should provide for some great photos.

*Spa trip for much needed back and foot massages

Beijing has been so beautiful and wonderful to me, but earlier this week with nothing to spur it, I was homesick for my family and friends back in the USA. Its hard not being able to pick up the phone and call American friends whenever I have something to say/ask. After a date, all I want to do is mchat Jeanette for hours. I miss laughing so hard that I can't breathe every single time I hang out with Winnie. I miss sitting at Stone Creek, drinking blue moon and watching my Dallas Cowboys (lose) with Jess. I miss strolling through Central Park with Kelly. I miss making dinner reservations (Steph G, Steph W, Anna, Laura, Maria, Jackie, Jennifer, Meghan, Nurul) with the nine Merrill ladies. I miss walking around Harvard Square with Daren. I miss turning on 90's one-hit wonders and dancing around the living room with Jason. I miss texting Nikki and having her ask me who the hell I am every single time. ;) Soon enough, loves.


Best overheard tourist quote today:

"Its in the Dongcheng district..."

"Is that a hutong?"