A trip to the Embassy

Last night, three cab-fulls of my friends went to our beloved Hou Hai district. Hou Hai is easily my favorite part of Beijing. We found this little street with mostly locals, tons of great cafes and restaurants and some fun bars. I have had my eye this one Indian restaurant I spotted called Mirch Marsala. The restaurant was very small so our group divided into two. I went to Mirch and had the best vegetable curry I have every had. I ordered saffron rice, vegetable curry and cheese naan. We were about the only people in the restaurant (10pm on a Sunday night, normally a reservation is required as there are only six tables) and the wait staff as well as the manager were talking to us while we were eating. I was so intrigued by the flavors in the dishes that I asked if I could see the back kitchen. No photos were allowed, but the image of a three-foot long spice tray filled with different colored powders separated by partitions was one of the more beautiful things I have seen in gray Beijing. There was also a traditional tandoori oven that is used to make the delicious naan. The cooking staff were quite surprised to see me in the incredibly small kitchen. After my looksy I went back to my table and devoured my remaining curry. The four Indian men who were still working (they told me they'd been working since 10am ... it was almost 11pm) starting laying out large bowls of food for themselves. They told me that they were all vegetarian (many Indian people are) and I was so thankful that their menu featured not just one or two items of vegetarian options, but a whole three pages! I couldn't decide and will definitely be back.

This morning I woke with the intention of going straight to the U.S. Embassy to get a background check notarized for the People.Com Red Carpet Reporter contest I entered last week. I have never been inside an Embassy and after showing the address to my taxi driver, I realized I was excited. After 45 minutes in heavy traffic and sharp, whimsical turns, my driver pulled over and pointed across the street. I saw flags and barbed wire and assumed the U.S. Embassy was in sight. Turns out that was the Albanian Embassy. I start walking, thinking I'll see it any moment but after 20 minutes I still haven't found it. It was 11am and the Embassy closes at noon. I was getting frustrated that nobody spoke English and even more annoyed with the fact that people kept pointing me in the wrong direction of the Embassy. I stopped a girl on the street who had broken English and said she, too was looking for the Embassy. We embarked on our journey together and when we arrived, she said "Oh, this isn't the Embassy, just the place to get my Visa for travel to America." I was near tears, incredibly hot and frustrated. As tears welled up in my eyes I caught sight of a friendly-looking woman standing outside a restaurant. The tears began pouring the second I opened my mouth. She brought me inside, gave me tissues, rubbed my back and called a cab (what luck I had that she spoke English!). The taxi came and took me to the Embassy. Finally happy, I became dismayed again to see a horribly long line of Chinese people waiting to get inside. Just when I thought I would never make it in, a posh looking American woman strutted by. I called after her and after telling her I was an American citizen and don't want to wait in this line she grabbed my hand and pulled me through the line with her. She took me right to where I needed to go and told me she was the Chief of Press Operations for the U.S. Embassy. I don't know how I got so lucky. Life got even better when I went through security, entered the Embassy grounds and saw: STARBUCKS. I immediately got an iced coffee and then went on to get the necessary documents notarized. It was quite a day and after surviving it, I am pretty sure I can handle just about any situation. I hope.

Right now, I am sitting in The Three Trees Cafe with my friend Lauren. We decided to come here to work on our blogs, catch up on the news and just get out of the hotel on our day off. We are in the Hou Hai district again and are just enjoying the smell of coffee and the sounds of some Chinese music along with the group of loud men sitting behind us playing a game of checkers. Tomorrow I have training again but then I have two days off until I go again.

Miss everyone at home :)
XOXO,
P

Recently in Beijing ...

I can't believe how long it has been since I have written! I have been extremely busy the past six days doing my training at the National Indoor Stadium (see image). I have grown to actually enjoy my polyester pants and nylon shirt that is definitely NOT suitable for Beijing's heat and humidity. My favorite part is the fanny pack. The bucket hat that came with the outfit is just too much for me to handle, but many of the Chinese volunteers in my group wear it every day. It's pretty hilarious.

My schedule has pretty much been the same the past few days: wake up around 7AM, get to the National Indoor Stadium by 9AM and train until around 5PM. We aren't allowed to discuss on our blogs what we do during our training, but I wouldn't bore you with it anyway. It has been a lot of lectures and basic information so far. My favorite part has been getting to know the Chinese volunteers in my group. The first day I arrived they were all so curious to "finally meet" me after "staring" at my picture. They started taking pictures of me when I arrived and I have been told multiple times that I look just like Britney Spears ... I think they would say this to any American with blond hair.

The other day, after a long day of training, Sarah Orscheln (my roommate), Sarah French and Justin O'Neil went out to an Italian restaurant I found on Trip Advisor. It's called La Dolce Vita and it may just have been the best pasta I have ever had. It was definitely the best meal I have had in Beijing. The owner, Piero Colucci, came and greeted our table when we arrived. I asked him what he recommended for me, being a vegetarian, and he said, "I have the perfect thing. Do you like broccoli?" After telling him that I loved broccoli he told me he would take care of me. I had orecchiette with broccoli cream. The orecchiette was homemade and it was done to a perfect al dente, something I really appreciated after having overcooked noodles in many of the other Italian eateries in Beijing. The restaurant was not crowded, Piero said it has been slow the past couple weeks, but everyone who entered the restaurant was Italian. We started talking to these two guys from Italy who also knew Spanish. I started speaking in Spanish to them and it made me so happy to communicate with foreigners. It made me really wish I knew Chinese because it would make my life here in Beijing a whole lot easier. After dinner and a couple bottles of wine, we were having trouble deciding on dessert. Piero suggested a platter (which we think was on the house, but the receipt was in Chinese so we really didn't know) that was pretty much amazing. I couldn't help but take a picture!

Yesterday was a "rest" day as they call it here. The pollution has been horrible the past few days. My eyes burn when I walk outside and it is so hot that I don't even bother with a morning shower. Here is an image outside of the Olympic Green around 5PM, just to give you an idea of how bad the pollution really is. With the Olympic just a week away, I really hope China does something to clear the air.

The other night Bob, my stepdad, sent a link to a contest to be a guest Red Carpet Reporter for People.com. One of my friends has a video camera here and I decided to give it a shot and make an audition tape! It was really fun but I wish I had more time to make it better (the video was due the next day). If I make the top 10, it turns into a public vote to find the winner so I will keep my public updated :) Check it out at
Or search "VoJo Awards" on YouTube.

Tonight some of the boys are playing basketball versus some of the University of Iowa boys. We are going to cheer them on and then go out for some pizza ... so American. Don't worry though, I am getting very cultured here by both the people and the food. I think this trip may actually be an experience that changes me as a person.

XOXO,
P

Lakes, Acrobats and BlaBlaBla...

Two nights ago a bunch of us went to a Mexican restaurant called "La Bamba." This was our second time there and it has pretty decent Mexican food with the closest thing to real cheese that I have been able to find. Afterward we went to Hou Hai Lake, which is pretty touristy but fun nonetheless. My friend Adam is here studying Chinese so we met up with his friends. I was really jealous because they were all speaking Chinese. They sounded fluent to me, even though they have only been here for a month. Adam taught me a few new phrases which I quickly forgot or thought I remembered but only received puzzled looks when I attempted using them on the locals.

Starting tomorrow I will be training everyday until the Olympics begin. Because of that, the last two days have been pretty relaxing. I really do feel like I live in Beijing and no longer feel obligated to go exploring the Top 10 sites in my Lonely Planet travel guide. Actually, I have seen all 10. I would, however, like to venture to the outskirts of Beijing, maybe even as far as Shanghai. Unfortunately, I don't know if my training schedule will allow me to do so.

Last night about half of us went to the Beijing Flying Acrobat Show. I have seen Cirque de Soleil and I can honestly say that this show was comparable. It was amazing!
This is a picture of Sarah Orschelen (my roommate), Sarah French and me before the show. I am going to try and upload a video I took in secret since no photos were allowed inside the theater. It was truly amazing: Chinese acrobats on bicycles riding around the stage, jumping from one person's back to the next. At one point, 12 women were on one small bike supported by one little Chinese woman.
It was incredible!

After the show we went to the BlaBla Bar. It is a really laid-back bar. We sat outside and played card games for a few hours before heading back to Renmin to go to bed. I have become so close to the people on this trip with me, it's been great. We all get along so well and because of the amount of time we spend together, I feel like I know everyone pretty well.

Tomorrow it will be exactly three weeks since I landed in Beijing. It has gone by so fast but the most exciting part is yet to come: The Olympics!

XOXOXO,
P

"You give me joke price, no?"

Above is a video from the day we went to the Great Wall. It is a little shaky but I think the video captures more of the intense beauty the wall and the day we were there offers. Hope you like it :)

The past two days have been pretty low key. We started our training and finally I have my official title for the Olympics: Venue Media Center Press Tribune Assistant. It sounds pretty cool, unfortunately I have yet to figure out just exactly what I will be doing.



The other day a few of us went to the Wanfuijing Snack Street. It is the epitome of modern Beijing. There is everything from a Nike store to a Starbucks. There are also a ton of shops that remind me of something similar to a Wet Seal or Forever 21. I went into one and decided to try on a dress that looked cute. If you didn't know, people are much smaller in China than they are in America. So when I went to the dressing room to try on the size Small I had picked out, the sales lady laughed, shook her head and ran back into the front of the store where the dress was. A few minutes later she returned with a size Large. At first, I was a little insulted. However, upon trying on the dress I was very grateful that I did not attempt to put on the small. I got the dress on and it fit fine but after inspecting myself in the mirror I decided not to get the dress and began to take it off. The only problem was: the dress would not get over my head. I panicked at first but then retried and literally could not get the dress off! I reached my head out and my friend Joanna saw what was going on. So did the sales lady who decided to come into the dressing room with me to help me get the dress off. Needless to say, I did not get the dress and will never be returning to that store again. The poor sales lady who was helping me had to reach around and help me pull the dress off for a good five minutes. Maybe it's a sign I should stop shopping? Or adopt the Chinese lifestyle in order to fit into their clothes properly.

That night we went to this bar/restaurant that I found online. There was a "Chinese American Ukelele Band" coming into the bar "Salud." About 12 of us got dropped off and wandered around the cutest street I have ever seen. If I lived in Biejing, I would undoubtedly live in the Sanlitun District where shops, bars and restaurants stay open forever. People were riding around on their bicycles, drinking fresh watermelon smoothies and sitting on rooftop lounges enjoying late night dinners. I have finally found my favorite part of Beijing! So, we go into Salud and sit down at long wooden table and order draft beers that come with a free tapa (bread with red pepper spread and a potato and cheese pancake wedge) all for 20 Yuan (under $3). The ukelele players consisted of one Chinese guy and an American-looking guy who was actually from Ireland. They were really great and I enjoyed the crowd of both westerners and locals that filled the seats of the cozy Spanish bar.

Last night, after our first day of training which mainly consisted of a tour of the National Indoor Stadium and sitting around for a couple hours, me, Lauren and Amy decided to go to a bar/lounge called 16 mm. We had seen it the night before when we went to Salud and saw that they played movies inside for free. Last night they were playing Atonement. We got there around 9pm and ordered some popcorn (it was sweet and cold instead of salty and hot) and relaxed on the comfy couches with young Beijingers. The movie was in English with Chinese subtitles. The place had such a cool atmosphere and was so relaxing. I felt like I was anywhere except the bustling, polluted streets of Beijing.

In the last few days I also ventured to Beijing's Pearl Market where my blond hair is an easy target for Chinese woman to yell things like: "Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, you like?" "Pretty lady, you want this Gucci?" or my favorite during negotiations: "No, you take my money. That joking price!" As stressful and chaotic as my experiences at the Pearl Markets were, I truly enjoy the haggling process. A wallet that starts at 280 Yuan gets down to 30 Yuan through tactics like the hard walk. Walking away from the vendor can almost guarantee a 50 percent price decrease.

After being in Beijing for over two weeks and discovering what the city really has to offer, I have decided that I want to have a job in restaurant researching. I have found so many restaurants/bars/cafes/etc. that I want to try out before I leave. There are a ton of really cool hole-in-the-wall places that look like they should be set in New York or somewhere in Europe. I finally feel less like a tourist and more like a person who lives in Beijing.

Miss and love everyone at home!
XOXOXO,
P

Photobucket ...

Below is my new photobucket account. Just click on the photo and you will be linked to my whole album of pictures! The first one is a little big ... I'm trying to work that out for next time but once you get to the photobucket site just push "next" and the pictures (with descriptions) should come! Enjoy!! I'll write more tomorrow!! Night :)

Beijing July 1-15

Photobucket Album

.... and ice cream

The past three days have been spent touring Beijing with BOCOG (The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games). Unfortunately, the majority of the time we were on buses or in restaurants eating rice, soup and cabbage. The first day we went to the Water Sanitation Plant (interesting ...) and then to a traditional Chinese "village" which was complete with wooden beds and a golf course... The term "propaganda tours" have been thrown around in our group as none of us believed the "village" we were taken to was traditional. However, it was nice to see the suburbs of Beijing. It is really lush and green right now, probably because of the rain.

The second day we went to the Great Wall. I have been most excited about seeing the wall. We arrived in the morning just as the President of Mexico was taking his own personal walk along the wall. Because of him, all the tourists were forced to stay off the wall. It was so crowded and very, very hot when we were waiting to go in. People were very aggressive and being the claustrophobic person that I am, I was a little put off by the massive number of people around me. When we did finally get in, it was amazing. The wall was crowded with people walking, sitting, eating and snapping photos. We only had an hour so I walked as far as I could to a lookout point. It was truly beautiful and amazing. We got lucky because that day was the most clear day I have seen in Beijing so far.

Yesterday we went to the Summer Palace and the Winter Palace. They were both very beautiful, but I enjoyed the Winter Palace more because of the Lotus Gardens. There was a pretty pond and remains of stones and buildings that had once probably been very amazing. It was really hot by the afternoon and I really wanted ice cream! I was so happy when we arrived at the restaurant for dinner to see a Dairy Queen! We planned to go down after dinner. Sadly, everyone had our same idea and after waiting in line for 20 minutes it was my turn to order and they were sold out! We were all a little disappointed but luckily they were able to manage one more that we all split. After the ice cream we went to a classic Peking Opera. It was definitely a cultural experience. My favorite part was the costumes, not the singing. It was extremely loud and unlike anything I had heard before. I took a little video of it and will try to get that uploaded so everyone can listen!

Today is one of our last free days before we start training tomorrow. Right now I am getting ready to go to the Pearl Market and hopefully bargain for some earrings and necklaces!

XOXOXO,
P

Temple or Massage?

Sorry I haven't written in a while! I have been so busy having a lot of fun! Today was a great, relaxing day! Last night we went to this bar that was filled with mostly foreigners, Americans, British and Australians mostly. The bar was called Propaganda and reminded me of the basement of a frat house. It was funny because there were two TVs behind the bar: one playing Korean golf and the other playing Cheaper By the Dozen 2. Today we were all a little tired and ready for some good food when we woke up. I found this place called Vineyard Cafe in my travel book that is owned by a British guy. We got dropped off in the wrong place but were desperate to find this restaurant. After a series of pointing conversations we turned the corner to the cafe. I have never been happier! We walked in and were all immediately relieved to see other westerners enjoying pizzas, salads, sandwiches and the like! I had a great veggie pizza and even a salad ... I haven't gotten sick, yet :)

After lunch, our plan was to go to the Lama Temple which is just down the street. However, I also read about this spa place called Bodhi that offered $14 massages for an hour if you come in before 5pm. We decided since we will be touring China the next three days and then starting our Olympic training on Monday that we should get massages. I was quite content with our decision. We took a cab to Bodhi and were pleasantly surprised by the peaceful setting. Amy, Meggie and I were in a room together and had one of the best massages I've ever had! It was more painful than ones at home but much more fulfilling by the end. I feel like I got a workout! Also, I have never been more glad about the language barrier. The dead silence was peaceful, especially since we are normally surrounded by hundreds of people speaking Chinese gibberish.

One of the highlights of the week was seeing Kung Fu Panda in China! We went to a movie theater, ate at Pizza Hut and I got Dairy Queen for the first time in my life! It was a very Westernized day. The movie was iMax and was in English. We decided to go to a movie because it was pouring rain outside. It wasn't cold, just extremely rainy! We got out of class around noon and I didn't have an umbrella. My friend Alex was nice enough to stash my bag with my computer in his backpack while I bolted back. I was soaked and so was everyone else. A movie was just the right thing for the day.

Yesterday we went to Behai Lake where we rented a boat for 60 Yuan (less than $10) for an hour and rode around the lake. The red and gold buildings were beautiful and we were just about the only tourists there so it was really cool to see the
Tomorrow we are touring Beijing suburbs and a water purification plant ... don't ask me why, but apparently it should be interesting. On Saturday we are going to the Great Wall and I cannot wait!!

XOXO,
P

Sightseeing!!!

I can honestly say I have never enjoyed sightseeing more than I have in Beijing! The blend of old and new is phenomenal and getting to know the Chinese culture was amazing! We first went to the Forbidden City then the Hutongs which are just outside of Forbidden City.



We rode on Rickshaws through the Hutongs which was one of my favorite things that we did all day! There were 50 of us on 25 rickshaws and all of the drivers were racing and cutting each other off. It was really fun!!
The Forbidden City was like nothing I had ever seen before. It is incredible to think that the 9,999 rooms in the Forbidden City were only used by one Emperor and his wife! There seemed to be a room for everything ... even a huge sleeping room!

Once we were done with the Hutongs, we climbed the steepest stairs I have ever climbed and went to the Drum and Bell Tower which had a view of all of Beijing! It was beautiful and I felt like I was looking over a European city instead of Beijing.

While we were walking around we saw a really cute couple that was getting their wedding photos taken! The woman was beautiful and when we complemented her red dress (red dresses are typical for weddings in China) she replied, "Thank you, it is my day!" She was so cute and eager to take a picture with us.

For lunch we went to a family-style Chinese restaurant that was a little more Western tasting. We were all excited by the fried rice that reminded us of our Chinese restaurants from home.

I am really getting used to Beijing. I am adjusting to being stared at 24/7 because of my blonde hair and am realizing that if I want to go ANYWHERE I have to have my destination written down in Chinese or else I will never get anywhere!

I have had so much fun so far and can't believe it has only been 5 days since I got to Beijing! Right now I have to go get ready for a banquet Renmin is hosting for us with the students that just got here from University of North Carolina. Talk to you soon!

XOOXXO,
P

Hit Me Beijing, One More Time

July 4 - 11:25PM

Yesterday we met with the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee (BOCOG) and tried on our uniforms (see left) and talked to our group leaders who will be training us for the games. I found out that I will be working in the National Indoor Stadium which is where gymnastics is going to be held! We still don't know exactly what we will be doing but hopefully will be finding out once our training starts on July 15. 

For lunch we went to a cafeteria on Renmin's campus where I ate a scoop of rice and a plain steamed bun. For breakfast I had a Luna bar so I was basically starving the whole day. It was one of the hottest days Beijing has had in a while (98 degrees F) so I drank a ton of water and began to realize how much weight I will probably lose on this trip. 

In the evening we had a banquet at the Angel Restaurant across the way from our dorms. We were presented with these stones that said our English name and our Chinese name. When the banquet was over, about 20 or so of us decided to go to a Karaoke bar called "Melody." We piled into three different taxis and were pleasantly surprised when we discovered that Melody offered private Karaoke rooms for practically nothing. We arrived around 10pm and left at 1am and it was less than $15 a person for the entire night -- including the mini kegs we ordered throughout the night. It was an incredibly fun night that helped bring all of us closer together as we belted out the lyrics to Britney Spears songs and America the Beautiful to celebrate the Fourth of July. I really didn't feel like I was in China while we were at Melody. There were marble floors and chandeliers ... I felt more like I was in a New York night club! Today, Melody was all we talked about on our hourlong bus ride into central Beijing for some media visits to the People's Daily website and China Youth Daily... it is definitely somewhere we want to go again!!  

The media tours we went on today were interesting but a little frustrating. It gets difficult to listen for long periods of times when the translator struggles over almost every word and doesn't relay anything that seems too interesting. At the end of presentations by the editors of both People and China Youth Daily we were able to ask questions. However, the answers we received always seemed jumbled and not directly responding to the question asked. While we were on the bus, I spotted a man wearing and I <3>

The best part about today was lunch. We went to a four star hotel where there was a huge Chinese-American style buffet. I ate vegetable spring rolls, sushi, fried rice, macaroni salad and banana bread! It was the first time I have been full the entire trip so I really enjoyed it! Since it was monsoon raining outside tonight, a few of us decided to order pizza from Domino's. It tasted just like it does at home so it is nice to know that at least that is available if we don't feel like pig liver or fried eel! 

Tomorrow we are getting on buses again and going to the Forbidden City where I will probably take hundreds of pictures! In the past two days alone I have taken over 300!! It is late here - almost midnight - and we have to be ready by 8am but I took a long nap when we returned from the media visits and just woke up a little bit ago! I'll check in tomorrow! 

XOXOX,

P 

Finally here!

Thursday, July 3 - 5:35AM

So after a long 13 hour flight, I am finally here. I met with everyone in the group at the airport yesterday and we boarded our flight all in shock that we would be in China in just a few hours. It is so surreal to actually be here!! 

We landed around 3PM and outside it was gray (supposedly from a combination of clouds and pollution but I am thinking it was mostly pollution, this morning there is no sun at all). The airport was amazing! It is only a month old and it is the cleanest/most modern airport I have ever seen. (In the top right picture is Lauren, Meggie, Amy and me right off the plane.) There was also a Starbucks right outside of the baggage claim! 

The 50 of us boarded two buses and took an hour-long ride into central Beijing where our dorm/hotel is located. Renmin University welcomed us with huge smiles and helped us unload our massive amounts of luggage inside. 

On the way in we passed the "Bird's Nest" (see the top right picture). It was amazing to see it in real life after seeing it so many times in pictures and on television. Just on the way from the airport to the hotel I took 50 pictures! A lot of them I will delete but I was just so excited by everything I saw. It seemed like everyone was on a bike and everyone had someone sitting on a little seat on the back of their bike! 

For dinner we walked around campus and went to a local dining hall. On the way we probably passed 100 students running on the outside track, another 50 playing basketball and several more just walking around - it seems like a very lively campus. We were being led by a big blue and green sign that said "University of Missouri" so I am sure we blended right in ... :) 

We have a busy day today but I need to go buy towels and other necessities that weren't provided for us here. I am also definitely finding the Starbucks this morning since last night I could only manage to eat a little rice after hardly sleeping on the pain and feeling very out of sorts for the remainder of the evening! 

Talk to you soon!

XOXOX,

P

One day until departure

I can't believe it is finally here. It seems like yesterday that I went to the Beijing informational meeting which was really back in the fall. I don't think it will truly hit me that I am going to China until I am already there. Right now I am in Chicago and have been walking everywhere in search of last minute items. I bought Lonely Planet's Beijing City Guide and read it cover-to-cover yesterday at this tea cafe called Argo Tea. {The tea is really really good (white tea acai squeeze = yummy) and I wish we had one in Columbia!} I have so many places dogeared in the city guide that I want to go... the only problem will be finding my way there. The street names on the map sound and look very confusing: Jianguomennei Dajie... really??! 

I plan to go to the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace but am most excited about the Temple of Heaven which was built during the Ming Dynasty and is the biggest of the three at 2,700,000 square meters! I know my parents won't be happy about this (sorry M and B) but Beijing has really taken to fashion over the past ten years and since the dollar is strong in China, I am definitely going to do some shopping! 

I also read in the city guide that the Chinese do not normally eat a lot of dessert. Luckily Chicago has the Hershy's Chocolate factory right on Michigan Avenue so I am going to get my last filling of ice cream for two months! I am a little nervous about the food in China. Since I am a vegetarian I am hoping that I will pronounce the phrase "Wo chi su" (I am vegetarian) correctly.

Next time I write I will be off the 14 hour flight I will take to Beijing tomorrow! See you in China!! 

XOXO,

P