I'm in a New York state of mind.
Now I need a little give and take,
The New York Times, the Daily News...
It comes down to reality-and its fine with me cause I've let it slide,
Dont care if its Chinatown or Riverside,
I dont have any reasons,
I've left them all behind,
Im in a New York state of mind.
I was a little worried that when I left New York City, I would be leaving the international atmosphere/people, the fancy restaurants, the myriad of little cafes that make heavenly lattes, the fancy brands, the bodegas, the little grocers, street markets, the shops that sell random little knick-knacks...boy, was I wrong! I miss the sounds and smells of the City but I don't know why I ever underestimated Beijing, the capital of the world's fastest growing economy.
There are so many restaurants/cafes/shops/bars/hotels to go here in Beijing that its mindblowing. Some people worry about not finding good international cuisine when they come to Beijing...then when they get here, they realize that the only problem is deciding where to go to eat/drink/shop that night. These days, China's growth (or boom) draws in the world's talent like America does. Businessmen, lawyers, marketers, consultants, engineers, restaurateurs, bartenders, artists, you name it. "Just like all roads used to lead to Rome, now the world is beating a path to Beijing." ~LP 2008
Just one shining example of a restaurant in Beijing. Shash. Uzbekestani place.
This is my 15th trip to Beijing, but each time, this city takes getting used to. Not in a bad way, just in a different way. I took this awesome video walking down Nanluoguxiang the other day; too bad youtube is down right now or I'd post it. It was such an interesting slice of daily Chinese life---people strolling, street sweepers, schoolchildren running, people buying food from streetside vendors, construction workers, policemen, foreigners, couples, friends. Carol was right....the video moves a little fast...although I've been in Beijing for almost 2 months now, I still walk like a New Yorker. (fast, too fast...)
There are definitely aspects I find unappealing about Beijing as well. In no particular order:
A) People cut in front of me in lines...this is annoying when I'm in a hurry/late. Also, if you know me, the thing I hate most to do in life is wait in a line (and study and hang out with people who can't carry a conversation) and I come close to wanting to punch people in the back of the head when they cut me.
B) Men smoke everywhere. Via secondhand smoke, I think I smoke about 1-2 cigarettes a day.
C) If someone runs into you on the street or in a store--its very rare they say excuse me/sorry, rather, sometimes they'll just push you out of the way even harder. Sweet.
D) Crossing the street is like gambling with your life every single time
E) I have to stop smiling at people I don't know...you'd think I would have learned that in Boston & NYC, but I can't help it, I was raised in the South and that's just what we do. To Beijing's credit, it is very easy to strike up a conversation with a stranger here. Not so in Manhattan...
F) The haze in the sky a few days a week....the blue sky here is so brilliantly blue when its clear, but when its not...its like living under a dome of smog (remember the Pauly Shore movie Biodome? hahaha...not related, just a random thought)
G) Either Beijing has the world's biggest population of prostitutes or girls/middle-aged women who think hooker boots (thanks Huffington Post) and way too short skirts are in fashion...I don't know who told these women that looking like a prostitute was cool, but this needs to change. Also, the girls who only wear shirts and leggings/panty hose...like Jessica says, leggings are not pants. The CCP spends so much time banning youtube in hopes that people will not be 'corrupted,' why not ban the girls who don't wear pants outside? I'm just saying...
H) Subways here are very clean and always on time, but if you miss the door, don't try squeezing through. There are two sets of doors and a huge gap in between the platform and the car...I think you'll die. In Manhattan, if I were running to the subway car and I got there just as the doors close, a look to the side where the attendant is and a big smile would always get the doors to open again. Here, I can just look futilely around and see nothing but shining linoleum floors, glass panes, and ads for Chinese medicine.
But you know what...I think these things make Beijing, Beijing. Not saying I'll miss getting cut in line in the morning at Starbucks by a man who orders 4 venti drinks while I have a hangover and I'm already late to work...man, if looks could kill, that man would be 6 feet under by now. I just think that in a few months (or for the next four years) when I'm buried under 6 feet of books in the law library, I'll have a craving for figuring out whether I'm heading to Bagou or Jinsong on the #10 subway line just in time to miss the train by a millisecond, for the company of the smokers galore in the audience at Mao Livehouse, or for the thrill of running across a 4 lane street with a fleet of Audis, VW's, and green/yellow taxis heading towards you with sonic acceleration.
Additionally, with the two sides to every coin, here are a few idiosyncratic things I love about China. This list is infinitely longer than the dislikes, so here are just a few off the top of my head:
A) If I don't know the Chinese word for something, I can use English and 90% of the people understand me immediately. So convenient. I also like how most of the foreigners I know in Beijing also speak Chinese. Its like..surprise taxi driver! I understand you!
B) People have no problem with being close to each other. There are about 1,000x's more couples here than any other country I've been too. Also, there's no homosexual tinge to the fact that girls will walk down the streets holding hands or that guys will have their arms around the other's shoulders. Its just pure friendship/love/closeness. Whenever I walk with my girls from my English classes, they will just unconsciously link arms with me. Just pure innocence. I also have girls who basically cuddle with each other in class; I think its beyond adorable. Makes me wish I could have my bff's here and we could fall asleep on each other when we're tired.
C) Children are sooo loved in society. Parents pay the utmost attention to their kids, sometimes to the point that you will have spoiled "little emperors," but my favorite thing is seeing how much parents love their kids/care for them/fuss over them. Outside of special circumstances, parents can only have one child so this is their future. There are always grandparents walking around during the day taking care of their grandkids while their adult kids are at work. I love saying hi to these kids and seeing the grandparents smile and laugh when their grandchildren do. The other day, I was at SLT with Scofield and we were watching kids run through the fountains on the first truly spring day of 2009. I was taking pictures of this little boy who was sooo happy. When he started smiling and performing for the camera, his parents just started beaming and smiling. I'm not sure how to exactly capture that moment, but with the blue skies, sunlight, cool spring day, and people talking/laughing everywhere, I felt like everything was right with the world.
D) I love how I can just hop on my bike and go anywhere in the city. Not saying I've done a lot of that yet because I place a ridiculous amount of value on my life, but I like to think I can. Mainly, I've been biking everywhere on campus. I biked to the post office, dry cleaners, grocery store, and shoe fixers the other day and it took a quarter of the time that it would have had I been walking.
E) People are so nice and giving. They really are. My ipod broke so without asking, one of my kids offered to let me borrow his brand new ipod for the rest of my time in Beijing. My parents' friends always insist on picking me up on the weekends, taking me on great excursions, and paying for everything we do. My new clients will shower my friends & I with free drinks/food/private tours whenever we show up at their door.
F) It doesn't cost much to live a life of luxury here. I go to the spa here at least twice a week; we go out at least 4 times a week for dinner & drinks; its easy getting around the city because there are enough taxis that waiting for longer than a minute for one is considered out of the ordinary. Spare me one minute of indulgence by letting me say that I can't wait to have a chauffeur.
G) Infinite number of reasons. It's been an absolute blast and JUST what I need before throwing myself under the bus for the next four years. :)
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