At this point I have been back from Beijing for a little over a month and what a whirlwind of a month it has been- touring the western United States, an amazing Cornerstone Festival, and moving to my new home in West Helena, Arkansas.
I have been asked a lot do I miss China, and yes I do. I miss the students, my coworkers, my church, Peking Duck, the Saddle Cantina (but not their prices!), my small apartment, the excitement of the big city...
A couple months ago my longtime friend Luke Kunefeke asked me what three things God had taught me living in a foreign country. I wasn't sure at the time but now think I am ready:
1. You can be friends with an atheist- most Chinese people are atheists just like most southerners say they are Christians, that is just the way it is.
2. Conversation and building relationships is the key to breaking down barriers and misunderstandings between cultures. Be a friend just for the sake of being a friend and great things will happen.
3. When interacting with another culture, try to put yourself into that culture and become a part of it. I must admit I failed miserably at this due to my American roots but the times I did become a part of the culture were amazing and some of the most memorable times of my year in Beijing.
So there you go, I mainly did this for me to reflect on the experience and bring some closure. This will be the last entry on this blog but it will still be up for awhile for reading. I will continue blogging on my experiences in Arkansas but rather than a blog they will be posted as facebook notes. Look for one some time tomorrow.
"It's difficult to say goodbye..."- Plankeye
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Last Things...
Last night in my apartment...
Last day at EF...
Last class at EF...
Last service at COGS...
Last gathering with friends...
Several "Last Things" have occurred over the past several days. I have been tempted to write about each of them but thought I would wait and gather my thoughts into one entry.
Early Wednesday evening, my coworker Lloyd came by my apartment to pick up my chair and mattress that I bought over the year. It made the apartment look empty, especially since everything else was packed in my bags. Then I was left at the mercy of the mattress that the landlord provided- I had forgotten how bad this thing was. After a restless night the landlord appeared to do the walkthrough and discoverd that the mattress was actually broken which had led to its discomfort. It was the way it always had been though; i thought it was supposed to be like that! After some bargaining, my realtor got her down to a charge of 200 kuai, leaving me a good refund of 3800. It was time to leave.
On Saturday, it was my last day at EF. EF has its problems and I am sure I have contributed my share of complaints over the year, but truth be told, EF is a fun place to work and one I will miss greatly. My coworkers and students have more than made up for any of the company shortfalls; I can't believe how many cool gifts I have gotten from students. (How will I get them all home? hee hee) I only had three classes that day: 2 face to face, and one game club- here is a view from the 2nd floor of my final class:
Games club is just what it says it is- we play games. This week we played Taboo, the game where you have to describe a word without using the five common words listed on the card. It is really fun but you have to modify the rules somewhat. Since they are not native speakers of English, you gave to get rid of the rule that requires losing a point for every word you have to pass on. How many Chinese people do you think know who George Burns is (or American kids today for that matter) or what a pressure washer does?
With My Last Class
Sunday morning was one of the moments I was dreading the most- my last church service at Congregation of the Good Shepherd (COGS). After spending almost three years searching for a church in Corinth, I finally found one. Then the opportunity to go to China arose! Would I find a church anywhere near what I had here? Do they even have churches there?
Several searches of the internet proved that churches do indeed exist here. There are house churches which meet in secret (which I knew about but for obvious reasons never got to attend (they are secret and hidden well in addition to being illegal),government approved churches that have complied with all laws and meet openly, and churches led by foreigners for foreigners. I perused the websites of 2 of the foreign churches and finally decided to email Pastor Dan Sandifer-Stech at COGS. It was a smaller congregation and their worship description sounded like my Corinth church. This church has been a real blessing. It is so different to worship with people from all corners of the world each week. Christianity should have a global focus but often does not except for sending money to missions overseas. Here we are involved in service projects to help the local Chinese and we are a "house of prayer for all peoples" Racism does not exist in this church. Neither do we argue or focus on the divisive issues of the western Church- we are about worshipping Jesus Christ and representing him in our daily world.
I was given the departing gift of a peace candle holder- every other Sunday we pray for peace specifically and light a candle to symoblize God's light of peace. This will be a great reminder to me in the future to stay globally focused.
I am very thankful for the friendship of my fellow COGS parishoners and Pastor Dan and his family. Pastor Dan had me over his house for Christmas dinner- he will probably never know how much that simple act of kindness meant to me to have a family to spend that special day with here in Beijing.
One special friend at COGS has been Sue from the U.K. Sue also works for EF in another school and each Sunday before the service we have attempted to solve all the company's problems:
At 7:30 lastnight I headed out with a group of teachers and students for my going away party. We started out near the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium where they have opened a carnival. At first we rode this swinging pirate ship thing that went completely upside down. My former student Aaron lost his phone with it falling out of his pocket. He found it later, in working condition but with a broken screen. Sorry Aaron! I am sure that new salary you are making at the bank will get you a new one though! After that it was time for the big ferris wheel, unfortunately it was too dark so my pics of the spectacular views of the Beijing cityscape didn't turn out. Ending up this part of the evening, my friends Karen, Nadine, and Aaron joined me for a ride through Demon Castle, a haunted dark ride with spring loaded monsters popping out of coffins and mannequins being tortured. It was very cheesy, which is the point of dark rides, but still fun.
Karen and Fred Waiting In Line
Closing the evening out, we headed to Jin Ding Xuan Cantonese restaurant for dim sum. We ordered so much food but somehow managed to eat it all. We had a lot of fun playing games led by our Chinese students (okay let's go around the table and share one adjective that describes Tim- charming, cute, chubby, teacherly, and on and on) Later one of my students, Cooper, the former singer of a punk rock band and whose English name is based on Alice Cooper serenaded me with a going away song. After all the students left, the teachers stayed around until around 1 in the morning (the restaurant is one of the few in Beijing open 24 hours) talking and enjoying just being around each other.
And while I don't enjoy beer, it is customary at a Chinese banquet to consume large quantities of the libation. While I stuck to Kekou Kele (Coca Cola) I am glad to say we kept with tradition as well:
100 bottles of Yanjing on the wall, 100 bottles of Yanjing...
Today is my last day in Beijing so I am gonna get up from the computer and go out to enjoy the city one last time!
Last day at EF...
Last class at EF...
Last service at COGS...
Last gathering with friends...
Several "Last Things" have occurred over the past several days. I have been tempted to write about each of them but thought I would wait and gather my thoughts into one entry.
Early Wednesday evening, my coworker Lloyd came by my apartment to pick up my chair and mattress that I bought over the year. It made the apartment look empty, especially since everything else was packed in my bags. Then I was left at the mercy of the mattress that the landlord provided- I had forgotten how bad this thing was. After a restless night the landlord appeared to do the walkthrough and discoverd that the mattress was actually broken which had led to its discomfort. It was the way it always had been though; i thought it was supposed to be like that! After some bargaining, my realtor got her down to a charge of 200 kuai, leaving me a good refund of 3800. It was time to leave.
On Saturday, it was my last day at EF. EF has its problems and I am sure I have contributed my share of complaints over the year, but truth be told, EF is a fun place to work and one I will miss greatly. My coworkers and students have more than made up for any of the company shortfalls; I can't believe how many cool gifts I have gotten from students. (How will I get them all home? hee hee) I only had three classes that day: 2 face to face, and one game club- here is a view from the 2nd floor of my final class:
Games club is just what it says it is- we play games. This week we played Taboo, the game where you have to describe a word without using the five common words listed on the card. It is really fun but you have to modify the rules somewhat. Since they are not native speakers of English, you gave to get rid of the rule that requires losing a point for every word you have to pass on. How many Chinese people do you think know who George Burns is (or American kids today for that matter) or what a pressure washer does?
With My Last Class
Sunday morning was one of the moments I was dreading the most- my last church service at Congregation of the Good Shepherd (COGS). After spending almost three years searching for a church in Corinth, I finally found one. Then the opportunity to go to China arose! Would I find a church anywhere near what I had here? Do they even have churches there?
Several searches of the internet proved that churches do indeed exist here. There are house churches which meet in secret (which I knew about but for obvious reasons never got to attend (they are secret and hidden well in addition to being illegal),government approved churches that have complied with all laws and meet openly, and churches led by foreigners for foreigners. I perused the websites of 2 of the foreign churches and finally decided to email Pastor Dan Sandifer-Stech at COGS. It was a smaller congregation and their worship description sounded like my Corinth church. This church has been a real blessing. It is so different to worship with people from all corners of the world each week. Christianity should have a global focus but often does not except for sending money to missions overseas. Here we are involved in service projects to help the local Chinese and we are a "house of prayer for all peoples" Racism does not exist in this church. Neither do we argue or focus on the divisive issues of the western Church- we are about worshipping Jesus Christ and representing him in our daily world.
I was given the departing gift of a peace candle holder- every other Sunday we pray for peace specifically and light a candle to symoblize God's light of peace. This will be a great reminder to me in the future to stay globally focused.
I am very thankful for the friendship of my fellow COGS parishoners and Pastor Dan and his family. Pastor Dan had me over his house for Christmas dinner- he will probably never know how much that simple act of kindness meant to me to have a family to spend that special day with here in Beijing.
One special friend at COGS has been Sue from the U.K. Sue also works for EF in another school and each Sunday before the service we have attempted to solve all the company's problems:
At 7:30 lastnight I headed out with a group of teachers and students for my going away party. We started out near the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium where they have opened a carnival. At first we rode this swinging pirate ship thing that went completely upside down. My former student Aaron lost his phone with it falling out of his pocket. He found it later, in working condition but with a broken screen. Sorry Aaron! I am sure that new salary you are making at the bank will get you a new one though! After that it was time for the big ferris wheel, unfortunately it was too dark so my pics of the spectacular views of the Beijing cityscape didn't turn out. Ending up this part of the evening, my friends Karen, Nadine, and Aaron joined me for a ride through Demon Castle, a haunted dark ride with spring loaded monsters popping out of coffins and mannequins being tortured. It was very cheesy, which is the point of dark rides, but still fun.
Karen and Fred Waiting In Line
Closing the evening out, we headed to Jin Ding Xuan Cantonese restaurant for dim sum. We ordered so much food but somehow managed to eat it all. We had a lot of fun playing games led by our Chinese students (okay let's go around the table and share one adjective that describes Tim- charming, cute, chubby, teacherly, and on and on) Later one of my students, Cooper, the former singer of a punk rock band and whose English name is based on Alice Cooper serenaded me with a going away song. After all the students left, the teachers stayed around until around 1 in the morning (the restaurant is one of the few in Beijing open 24 hours) talking and enjoying just being around each other.
And while I don't enjoy beer, it is customary at a Chinese banquet to consume large quantities of the libation. While I stuck to Kekou Kele (Coca Cola) I am glad to say we kept with tradition as well:
100 bottles of Yanjing on the wall, 100 bottles of Yanjing...
Today is my last day in Beijing so I am gonna get up from the computer and go out to enjoy the city one last time!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Hotel Ibis...
After moving out of my apartment yesterday, I moved in to the Hotel Ibis in Chaoyang district, an area I spend a lot of time in so wanted to spend my last few days there. Here is a review in the style (and sarcastic wit) of the guys over at the Cheapo Travel websites:
It's like a Motel 6- on a space station!
From Accor Hotels, the same people that bring you Motel 6, comes Hotel Ibis, a budget friendly European style hotel with sufficient service. Not much about it makes it special but it is a clean place to lay your head at night and is cheap considering all the Hiltons and Kempinskis in the same area.
Room Quality- Basic, small rooms. Rooms are done up in a modern IKEA style that seems to be so popular these days. They really do make good use of the size of the rooms proving that its not the size that matters but how you use it! There is a big bed, a small flat screen tv, desk and chair and wardrobe built into the wall. Lights can be turned on from beside the door or beside the bed, making things very convenient for when you want to do a little late night reading and don't want to make the 4 foot trek back across the room to turn the lights off. Very comfy bed but it takes up most of the space in the room so don't plan any big parties here. The bathroom looks like something you might find on the space shuttle (or a porta john with a shower) small, compact and convenient. They are an enviromentally conscious chain (read: cheap) so they have lo flo toilets for using less water but after having their breakfast buffet I needed more than one flush to get rid of the evidence so that sort of defeated the purpose.
Service Quality- Very basic, they expect you to take care of yourself for the most part. There is a vending machine for basic supplies but it doesn't work so you will have to get the desk clerk to open the machine to get your tube socks, shower caps, underwear, razors, and Jissbon brand condoms. Laundry service is available but you have to turn it in and pick it up at the front desk yourself. You won't wait long at the service desk as the manager makes sure those waiting in line get waited on by opening up additional counters quickly, he must have studied management under Mary Weeks from Bruce!
What you get in the bathroom- toothbrush and toothpaste, mini soap and shampoo. There is no sewing kit so if you see me walking around Sanlitun with holes in my pants you know where I am staying.
Clientele- budget travelers from overseas and Chinese business types, mostly a younger type crowd who are constantly broke like me.
How's the pool?- What pool? I did see a big pothole down the street that was collecting rainwater but I wouldn't swim in it unless I wanted tetanus or herpes.
The food- They have a decent but gutbusting breakfast buffet for 20 kuai (about 3 bucks) that includes things like noodles, steamed buns, fruit and cereal. Expect to spend some time in the space age porta john after eating here. There is also an overpriced bar serving food and beverages. Walk down the street to 7-11 for your drinks though, 25 kuai for a bottle of water is exorbitant when the 3 kuai water is just as good. Besides, 7-11 is Japanese owned and they will bow when you come in making you feel like a king, well at least you'll feel a little better about being a cheapskate.
Entertainment- there is a game room with a dart board and a computer area or bring your own computer to watch bootleg dvds on in your room or use their free internet service. If you want really funny entertainment get into a cab and listen to the driver cuss in Chinese as he tries to find this hotel, has to be in one of the hardest to get to spots in Beijing!
Overall, not a bad place to stay, just don't expect much.
It's like a Motel 6- on a space station!
From Accor Hotels, the same people that bring you Motel 6, comes Hotel Ibis, a budget friendly European style hotel with sufficient service. Not much about it makes it special but it is a clean place to lay your head at night and is cheap considering all the Hiltons and Kempinskis in the same area.
Room Quality- Basic, small rooms. Rooms are done up in a modern IKEA style that seems to be so popular these days. They really do make good use of the size of the rooms proving that its not the size that matters but how you use it! There is a big bed, a small flat screen tv, desk and chair and wardrobe built into the wall. Lights can be turned on from beside the door or beside the bed, making things very convenient for when you want to do a little late night reading and don't want to make the 4 foot trek back across the room to turn the lights off. Very comfy bed but it takes up most of the space in the room so don't plan any big parties here. The bathroom looks like something you might find on the space shuttle (or a porta john with a shower) small, compact and convenient. They are an enviromentally conscious chain (read: cheap) so they have lo flo toilets for using less water but after having their breakfast buffet I needed more than one flush to get rid of the evidence so that sort of defeated the purpose.
Service Quality- Very basic, they expect you to take care of yourself for the most part. There is a vending machine for basic supplies but it doesn't work so you will have to get the desk clerk to open the machine to get your tube socks, shower caps, underwear, razors, and Jissbon brand condoms. Laundry service is available but you have to turn it in and pick it up at the front desk yourself. You won't wait long at the service desk as the manager makes sure those waiting in line get waited on by opening up additional counters quickly, he must have studied management under Mary Weeks from Bruce!
What you get in the bathroom- toothbrush and toothpaste, mini soap and shampoo. There is no sewing kit so if you see me walking around Sanlitun with holes in my pants you know where I am staying.
Clientele- budget travelers from overseas and Chinese business types, mostly a younger type crowd who are constantly broke like me.
How's the pool?- What pool? I did see a big pothole down the street that was collecting rainwater but I wouldn't swim in it unless I wanted tetanus or herpes.
The food- They have a decent but gutbusting breakfast buffet for 20 kuai (about 3 bucks) that includes things like noodles, steamed buns, fruit and cereal. Expect to spend some time in the space age porta john after eating here. There is also an overpriced bar serving food and beverages. Walk down the street to 7-11 for your drinks though, 25 kuai for a bottle of water is exorbitant when the 3 kuai water is just as good. Besides, 7-11 is Japanese owned and they will bow when you come in making you feel like a king, well at least you'll feel a little better about being a cheapskate.
Entertainment- there is a game room with a dart board and a computer area or bring your own computer to watch bootleg dvds on in your room or use their free internet service. If you want really funny entertainment get into a cab and listen to the driver cuss in Chinese as he tries to find this hotel, has to be in one of the hardest to get to spots in Beijing!
Overall, not a bad place to stay, just don't expect much.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Ba Nian School...
Ba Nian School is a school in downtown Beijing for children of migrant workers. Being a migrant worker poses some unique challenges: your children are too far away from their home towns to go to school everyday and not having a Beijing hukou (residence certificate) means you can't attend the Beijing schools. This is where migrant schools come in; these schools are sponsored by various groups.
Ba Nian School is located in a hutong alley neighborhood a little off the beaten path. Once inside the school is bright and modern despite its rather dismal surroundings. There is also the sound of laughter coming from the hallways and an enthusiasm for learning like you have never seen!
I volunteered tonight as an English tutor there. The English program is run by an American lady. We started in one large group where the students sang songs. After that they split up by age group. Myself and Vasmarca (a fellow church member from the island of Fiji) were assigned to a high school class. Under the leadership of their teacher, a Chinese lady who spoke English and Chinese, we began by telling them about ourselves. One student asked if I had been to the Great Wall. I was able to pull up my blog and show them some pictures on the big screen as well as pictures of my dogs, Clark and Chloe. Clark and Chloe are now celebrities in China!
Afterwards the students were divided up into groups to work on their talent acts that they will be presenting in a video conference with a school from Inner Mongolia next week at the American embassy. My group was rehearsing an English drama of the three little pigs. I listened as they read through it, helped with pronunciation, and helped them learn appropriate movements to use on stage. The teacher picked them as best performance of the evening!
I wish I could have been doing this volunteering all along, but otherwise am glad to have had this experience. Hopefully I will get to go back next week. I will save my preaching for another time and just say I hope my American students in Arkansas have half as much enthusiasm for learning as these kids did. (Although I am not holding my breath as my Arkansas students will probably be spoiled Americans like me!)
Ba Nian School is located in a hutong alley neighborhood a little off the beaten path. Once inside the school is bright and modern despite its rather dismal surroundings. There is also the sound of laughter coming from the hallways and an enthusiasm for learning like you have never seen!
I volunteered tonight as an English tutor there. The English program is run by an American lady. We started in one large group where the students sang songs. After that they split up by age group. Myself and Vasmarca (a fellow church member from the island of Fiji) were assigned to a high school class. Under the leadership of their teacher, a Chinese lady who spoke English and Chinese, we began by telling them about ourselves. One student asked if I had been to the Great Wall. I was able to pull up my blog and show them some pictures on the big screen as well as pictures of my dogs, Clark and Chloe. Clark and Chloe are now celebrities in China!
Afterwards the students were divided up into groups to work on their talent acts that they will be presenting in a video conference with a school from Inner Mongolia next week at the American embassy. My group was rehearsing an English drama of the three little pigs. I listened as they read through it, helped with pronunciation, and helped them learn appropriate movements to use on stage. The teacher picked them as best performance of the evening!
I wish I could have been doing this volunteering all along, but otherwise am glad to have had this experience. Hopefully I will get to go back next week. I will save my preaching for another time and just say I hope my American students in Arkansas have half as much enthusiasm for learning as these kids did. (Although I am not holding my breath as my Arkansas students will probably be spoiled Americans like me!)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
On a (Dragon) Boat...
Today was the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival holiday. There are a couple of activities that are special to this day:
eating of zongzi- a sushi type dish consisting of sweet, sticky rice wrapped around various fruit, nut, or meat fillings. A student brought plenty of them to work. They are quite good and very filling!
Dragon Boat Racing- this I didn't get to see
Remembering of the story of Qu Yuan- We did this at EF through a drama in which I was chosen to play the guard.
The Drama Team
Accepting Poison Wine To Kill Qu Yuan
Arresting Qu Yuan
Here is an explanation of the story from Wikipedia:
"The best-known traditional story holds that the festival commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC - 278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu, in the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty.[4] A descendant of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance. Qu Yuan was accused of treason.[4] During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered. Twenty-eight years later, Qin conquered the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month.
It is said that the local people, who admired him, threw food into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body.[4] This is said to be the origin of zongzi. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing."
Even though I didn't see a Dragon Boat race, I did buy a dragon boat. Last Sunday a Chinese woodcarver was at my church. His carvings combine Christian traditions and stories with traditional Chinese art and culture. I fell in love with the Noah's Ark Dragon Boat that came with animals that represent the years in the Chinese calendar. Imagine being a Chinese child and hearing the story of Noah's Ark, this is probably what you would picture in your mind:
After a relaxing day that consisted of exchanging money, massage, and Mexican food, I met up with teachers from several EF schools for a delicious dinner at the Golden Peacock Yunnan Restaurant. Everything was wonderful: fish, chicken, fried potatos, various vegetables including a strange mashed potato dish with spices and chunks of peppers. The spices gave it a brown color and with the veggie chunks it looked like something my dog puked up one time but tasted awesome!
One of the house specialties is pineapple rice, cooked and served in a hollowed out pineapple- delicious!
The next holiday I celebrate will be fourth of July in the U.S. There is more to come, so don't stop reading!
eating of zongzi- a sushi type dish consisting of sweet, sticky rice wrapped around various fruit, nut, or meat fillings. A student brought plenty of them to work. They are quite good and very filling!
Dragon Boat Racing- this I didn't get to see
Remembering of the story of Qu Yuan- We did this at EF through a drama in which I was chosen to play the guard.
The Drama Team
Accepting Poison Wine To Kill Qu Yuan
Arresting Qu Yuan
Here is an explanation of the story from Wikipedia:
"The best-known traditional story holds that the festival commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC - 278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu, in the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty.[4] A descendant of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance. Qu Yuan was accused of treason.[4] During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered. Twenty-eight years later, Qin conquered the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month.
It is said that the local people, who admired him, threw food into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body.[4] This is said to be the origin of zongzi. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing."
Even though I didn't see a Dragon Boat race, I did buy a dragon boat. Last Sunday a Chinese woodcarver was at my church. His carvings combine Christian traditions and stories with traditional Chinese art and culture. I fell in love with the Noah's Ark Dragon Boat that came with animals that represent the years in the Chinese calendar. Imagine being a Chinese child and hearing the story of Noah's Ark, this is probably what you would picture in your mind:
After a relaxing day that consisted of exchanging money, massage, and Mexican food, I met up with teachers from several EF schools for a delicious dinner at the Golden Peacock Yunnan Restaurant. Everything was wonderful: fish, chicken, fried potatos, various vegetables including a strange mashed potato dish with spices and chunks of peppers. The spices gave it a brown color and with the veggie chunks it looked like something my dog puked up one time but tasted awesome!
One of the house specialties is pineapple rice, cooked and served in a hollowed out pineapple- delicious!
The next holiday I celebrate will be fourth of July in the U.S. There is more to come, so don't stop reading!
Monday, May 25, 2009
An Evening With MxPx...
Friday night May 22 will undoubtedly be one of my most memorable evenings of the year in Beijing. After work, myself, Carol, and Alana met up at the roast fish restaurant (I had the chicken.) before heading over to the Mao Live House music venue for an evening of punk rock. (I really wanted to eat at the Philly Pizza Company, but at least we did have hot tea!)
You and Me Punk Rock Girls!
The show was opened by Chinese band SKO and Japanese band Secret 7 Line. Both did a good job of getting the rather sparse crowd (about 200 folks) warmed up for the main attraction.
It was really cool to see MxPx perform in this small setting. I have previously seen them perform on Cornerstone's Main Stage where they perform for around 10,000 people and have seen them in 2 rather large venues in Nashville and Memphis. At all of those shows, they had crews of people who set up and took down their gear. Here with the help of one guy, MxPx did it all themselves. They played a good mix of songs from all of their major albums except for Pokinatcha (their first), and included a couple covers from their latest album "On The Cover 2", an album of 80s songs that influenced the band. MxPx live never disappoints.
A few shots of MxPx prepping for the show.
After the show I was fortunate to be able to sit down with bassist and singer Mike Herrera for an interview. Here it is:
What are some of the challenges of touring in a foreign country?
Well this is our first time in China. It’s kind of a poor man’s Japan. It’s obviously an Asian country, but it’s a little more relaxed actually, not quite as like crazy detailed. In Japan everybody’s very much on schedule and here it’s a little bit more like "Ahh you know we’ll get there" which is fine for us, no big deal. I thought it was gonna be a lot more crowded. There’s a lot of people here obviously, but in my experience most big cities are much more crowded.
Are there any interesting or funny experiences from the tour so far?
Let’s see, of course we’ve only been here like two days. Tonight's show was really fun, we had a good time. We love bargaining anywhere we go whether it's South America or that kind of culture where you can negotiate prices, that’s what we really enjoy doing. We always walk away and come back, you know do that whole thing. So that was probably the coolest thing we’ve done here in China. We just kind of bargain and shop and get stuff for really cheap. I know its pretty inexpensive here anyway but that is not even necessarily the point, the point is whatever the price is, get it lower!
Did you pick up any interesting deals today?
Our tour manager got some, what does he call them? Fauxkleys, five pairs of sunglasses for 200.
How was the show in Shanghai?
Shanghai, yeah, it was less people, but we had heard it's not as good for punk music there.
When you do these shows in foreign countries, is it mostly locals or the foreigners who come?
In Japan its mostly locals, in most countries its mostly locals, except for when we’re in Korea. I guess if you had to count each person there would still be more locals but there were a lot of Americans from the army base there. Here a lot of white people, not necessarily from America, I wasn’t expecting that actually. In South America it's all locals, very few white people or westerners there.
On the Cover 2 just came out, great album by the way. What has the response been so far?
I think they like it and it’s a fun record. All the reviews we’ve seen have been really good. Its funny because doing a cover album, you can’t really play all the songs, so we’ve really had to force ourselves to learn Linda Linda and some of the others.
Can you tell us a little about the process you went through of choosing the songs?
Well we started off with a bunch of songs and then narrowed it down to some that sounded a little bit better. We had a few more punk songs that people wouldn’t necessarily know as much. We wanted there to be a theme to the record and we ended up with a lot of songs from the 80s and started gearing our choices towards that once we had a bulk of songs that were from the 80s. We were like okay let’s not do a few of these that we were gonna do and just do 80s songs. That way we kind of had a story to tell and it was a little more cohesive. Even within that there is punk songs, pop songs, new wave songs, rock, you know hair metal, but a good mix.
Has the reunion with Tooth and Nail been a good so far?
Yeah yeah, most definitely.
Are there any other bands on that label that might be possible tour mates in the future?
Yeah, there is always that possbiliity. We end up playing with Underoath a lot. We don’t fit with that music at all but we will end up in some weird country with them. We played a show with them in Mexico city and in Belgium. We have played with Anberlin and of course we’ve played with The Classic Crime.
Are there any plans to tour with your other band, Tumbledown?
Yeah, we just finished up a tour, we did SXSW in Austin, TX. The full length record just came out and it’s also available in Japan on an indie label, then we can start coming to Asia which will be great.
What does the future hold for MxPx?
MxPx is actually going to go into the studio soon. I am not sure if we’re gonna do an EP; it's hard to say with music changing a lot and the industry changing, it doesn’t seem like you necessarily have to do a full album, people just want songs and download individual songs so it's hard to justify the time and expense of a full album, so we may go in and do half records more often. That will be easier on me too songwriting wise. We are gonna make sure the next thing we do gets out quicker.
For my personal curiousty, do you think we will see you at Cornerstone in the future?
You know I would love to, our booking agent now isn’t as tuned into that scene. It's not that hard for them because we’ve played there a lot. We are doing Joshua Fest, which is cool. Cornerstone would definitely have us but it hasn’t worked out scheduling wise. I would love to do it again and it’ll happen when the planets align!
Well thanks Mike for sitting down with us.
Thanks Tim, of course. Cool.
You and Me Punk Rock Girls!
The show was opened by Chinese band SKO and Japanese band Secret 7 Line. Both did a good job of getting the rather sparse crowd (about 200 folks) warmed up for the main attraction.
It was really cool to see MxPx perform in this small setting. I have previously seen them perform on Cornerstone's Main Stage where they perform for around 10,000 people and have seen them in 2 rather large venues in Nashville and Memphis. At all of those shows, they had crews of people who set up and took down their gear. Here with the help of one guy, MxPx did it all themselves. They played a good mix of songs from all of their major albums except for Pokinatcha (their first), and included a couple covers from their latest album "On The Cover 2", an album of 80s songs that influenced the band. MxPx live never disappoints.
A few shots of MxPx prepping for the show.
After the show I was fortunate to be able to sit down with bassist and singer Mike Herrera for an interview. Here it is:
What are some of the challenges of touring in a foreign country?
Well this is our first time in China. It’s kind of a poor man’s Japan. It’s obviously an Asian country, but it’s a little more relaxed actually, not quite as like crazy detailed. In Japan everybody’s very much on schedule and here it’s a little bit more like "Ahh you know we’ll get there" which is fine for us, no big deal. I thought it was gonna be a lot more crowded. There’s a lot of people here obviously, but in my experience most big cities are much more crowded.
Are there any interesting or funny experiences from the tour so far?
Let’s see, of course we’ve only been here like two days. Tonight's show was really fun, we had a good time. We love bargaining anywhere we go whether it's South America or that kind of culture where you can negotiate prices, that’s what we really enjoy doing. We always walk away and come back, you know do that whole thing. So that was probably the coolest thing we’ve done here in China. We just kind of bargain and shop and get stuff for really cheap. I know its pretty inexpensive here anyway but that is not even necessarily the point, the point is whatever the price is, get it lower!
Did you pick up any interesting deals today?
Our tour manager got some, what does he call them? Fauxkleys, five pairs of sunglasses for 200.
How was the show in Shanghai?
Shanghai, yeah, it was less people, but we had heard it's not as good for punk music there.
When you do these shows in foreign countries, is it mostly locals or the foreigners who come?
In Japan its mostly locals, in most countries its mostly locals, except for when we’re in Korea. I guess if you had to count each person there would still be more locals but there were a lot of Americans from the army base there. Here a lot of white people, not necessarily from America, I wasn’t expecting that actually. In South America it's all locals, very few white people or westerners there.
On the Cover 2 just came out, great album by the way. What has the response been so far?
I think they like it and it’s a fun record. All the reviews we’ve seen have been really good. Its funny because doing a cover album, you can’t really play all the songs, so we’ve really had to force ourselves to learn Linda Linda and some of the others.
Can you tell us a little about the process you went through of choosing the songs?
Well we started off with a bunch of songs and then narrowed it down to some that sounded a little bit better. We had a few more punk songs that people wouldn’t necessarily know as much. We wanted there to be a theme to the record and we ended up with a lot of songs from the 80s and started gearing our choices towards that once we had a bulk of songs that were from the 80s. We were like okay let’s not do a few of these that we were gonna do and just do 80s songs. That way we kind of had a story to tell and it was a little more cohesive. Even within that there is punk songs, pop songs, new wave songs, rock, you know hair metal, but a good mix.
Has the reunion with Tooth and Nail been a good so far?
Yeah yeah, most definitely.
Are there any other bands on that label that might be possible tour mates in the future?
Yeah, there is always that possbiliity. We end up playing with Underoath a lot. We don’t fit with that music at all but we will end up in some weird country with them. We played a show with them in Mexico city and in Belgium. We have played with Anberlin and of course we’ve played with The Classic Crime.
Are there any plans to tour with your other band, Tumbledown?
Yeah, we just finished up a tour, we did SXSW in Austin, TX. The full length record just came out and it’s also available in Japan on an indie label, then we can start coming to Asia which will be great.
What does the future hold for MxPx?
MxPx is actually going to go into the studio soon. I am not sure if we’re gonna do an EP; it's hard to say with music changing a lot and the industry changing, it doesn’t seem like you necessarily have to do a full album, people just want songs and download individual songs so it's hard to justify the time and expense of a full album, so we may go in and do half records more often. That will be easier on me too songwriting wise. We are gonna make sure the next thing we do gets out quicker.
For my personal curiousty, do you think we will see you at Cornerstone in the future?
You know I would love to, our booking agent now isn’t as tuned into that scene. It's not that hard for them because we’ve played there a lot. We are doing Joshua Fest, which is cool. Cornerstone would definitely have us but it hasn’t worked out scheduling wise. I would love to do it again and it’ll happen when the planets align!
Well thanks Mike for sitting down with us.
Thanks Tim, of course. Cool.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Why I am excited about the MxPx concert...
Next Friday, legendary punk band MxPx will play in Beijing at the Mao Livehouse music venue. People have been asking why I am so excited about this, haven't you already seen their concert 4 times before? Let me explain why I am so excited about this:
When I was 16 years old, I was the typical youth group kid, listening to Christian rock music exclusively, "edgy" bands like Jars of Clay and Dc Talk. One night I was in an internet chat room (do those even exist anymore?) and was chatting with a guy who called himself PxPx as his online nickname. I asked him what it meant and he said it was based on the band name MxPx. He then asked me what music I liked and I told him I really liked Christian band Jars of Clay. He said I should check out MxPx then, they were probably similar to Jars of Clay.
Assuming they were a Christian rock band based on our discussion, I headed to that mecca of rock and roll music: Promise and Praise Bookstore in Oxford, MS. They looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears when I asked for MxPx. I then headed on down the mall to the Sound Shop music store. They just looked at me. No one had heard of this band! Months later, at high school graduation, someone gave me a cassette (do these even exist anymore?) of music themed for the graduate. MxPx's song "Teenage Politics" was on the tape. It was unlike anything I had ever heard. It was angry yet positive at the same time, a song about navigating the strange world of a teenager. Still thinking they were a Christian rock band, I went to my pastor, Dr. Charles Nestor and asked him if he could order their album for me. He looked on his computer and found the album "Teenage Politics". Weeks went by and I forgot I had ordered it. One day I was visiting Dr. Nestor in his office and happened to see that copy of "Teenage Politics" buried under a stack of papers on his desk. He then gave it to me for free since I had waited so long on it. The songs on that cd became the soundtrack for my late high school/early college life.
Turns out the band was on Tooth and Nail Records, a record label that has always walked a thin line between the secular and the spiritual. This company has been known for some of the bigger names in mainstream music today like Anberlin, mewithoutYou, and Underoath as well as Christian music success stories (through their Christian market focused sister company, BEC Recordings) the O.C. Supertones, Plankeye, Jeremy Camp, and Hawk Nelson. They have also spawned some lesser known, but no less marvelous talent, like Starflyer 59, For Love Not Lisa, Stavesacre, The blamed, He is Legend, Roadside Monument, Ninety Pound Wuss, and Joy Electric. The members of MxPx were Christians (but not a Christian band) and this came through in some of their songs but most of their songs just dealt with everyday life experiences: What do I do with my future? Will I meet a girl? All of the songs meant something to me and I could easily relate to all of them.
I have grown up with the band, as their songwriting has matured so have I. I am the same age as the band members. As they were navigating their late teen years, so was I. Now as they are navigating young adulthood, so am I. Is it a coincidence that during the same year I am in Beijing they are playing a show here? I don't think so.
Their lyrics have continued to include the spiritual and the mundane, but everything is written from a perspective that there is more to this life than meets the eye. I am proud to be a fan of this amazing band.
"There's got to be a better place than this world.
She said its the best time of our lives,
we shouldn't be thinking about that now,
she turned my words around,
and I let it happen everytime."
"Well he's a chick magnet if you know what I mean"
"Still don't know what I want to do,
probably still ask you if I knew,
what I'm doing now seems to be okay, i
f it's your will, if it's your way"
"Teenage Politics its too confusing
Politics Schmolitics, too confusing"
"These days so few seem to have faith
In the son of man and in his grace
I feel your breathe upon my face
As you replace, my broken wings"
"You are your own secret weapon
Its all up to you to come out swingin"
"They said we need to play it better
They said just sing like Eddie Vedder
Bring us something we can sell"
"The piece of paper that you've got
says you can get into my pocket
but you can't get inside my heart
or inside my head"
"There's nothing quite like
being sure of what's inside your heart"
"Responsibility
What's that!
Responsibilty
Not quite yet!"
"am i the one that's going crazy?
i'm so tired of masquerading
i pretend to be so well adjusted
maybe it's just me and i'm disgusted"
When I was 16 years old, I was the typical youth group kid, listening to Christian rock music exclusively, "edgy" bands like Jars of Clay and Dc Talk. One night I was in an internet chat room (do those even exist anymore?) and was chatting with a guy who called himself PxPx as his online nickname. I asked him what it meant and he said it was based on the band name MxPx. He then asked me what music I liked and I told him I really liked Christian band Jars of Clay. He said I should check out MxPx then, they were probably similar to Jars of Clay.
Assuming they were a Christian rock band based on our discussion, I headed to that mecca of rock and roll music: Promise and Praise Bookstore in Oxford, MS. They looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears when I asked for MxPx. I then headed on down the mall to the Sound Shop music store. They just looked at me. No one had heard of this band! Months later, at high school graduation, someone gave me a cassette (do these even exist anymore?) of music themed for the graduate. MxPx's song "Teenage Politics" was on the tape. It was unlike anything I had ever heard. It was angry yet positive at the same time, a song about navigating the strange world of a teenager. Still thinking they were a Christian rock band, I went to my pastor, Dr. Charles Nestor and asked him if he could order their album for me. He looked on his computer and found the album "Teenage Politics". Weeks went by and I forgot I had ordered it. One day I was visiting Dr. Nestor in his office and happened to see that copy of "Teenage Politics" buried under a stack of papers on his desk. He then gave it to me for free since I had waited so long on it. The songs on that cd became the soundtrack for my late high school/early college life.
Turns out the band was on Tooth and Nail Records, a record label that has always walked a thin line between the secular and the spiritual. This company has been known for some of the bigger names in mainstream music today like Anberlin, mewithoutYou, and Underoath as well as Christian music success stories (through their Christian market focused sister company, BEC Recordings) the O.C. Supertones, Plankeye, Jeremy Camp, and Hawk Nelson. They have also spawned some lesser known, but no less marvelous talent, like Starflyer 59, For Love Not Lisa, Stavesacre, The blamed, He is Legend, Roadside Monument, Ninety Pound Wuss, and Joy Electric. The members of MxPx were Christians (but not a Christian band) and this came through in some of their songs but most of their songs just dealt with everyday life experiences: What do I do with my future? Will I meet a girl? All of the songs meant something to me and I could easily relate to all of them.
I have grown up with the band, as their songwriting has matured so have I. I am the same age as the band members. As they were navigating their late teen years, so was I. Now as they are navigating young adulthood, so am I. Is it a coincidence that during the same year I am in Beijing they are playing a show here? I don't think so.
Their lyrics have continued to include the spiritual and the mundane, but everything is written from a perspective that there is more to this life than meets the eye. I am proud to be a fan of this amazing band.
"There's got to be a better place than this world.
She said its the best time of our lives,
we shouldn't be thinking about that now,
she turned my words around,
and I let it happen everytime."
"Well he's a chick magnet if you know what I mean"
"Still don't know what I want to do,
probably still ask you if I knew,
what I'm doing now seems to be okay, i
f it's your will, if it's your way"
"Teenage Politics its too confusing
Politics Schmolitics, too confusing"
"These days so few seem to have faith
In the son of man and in his grace
I feel your breathe upon my face
As you replace, my broken wings"
"You are your own secret weapon
Its all up to you to come out swingin"
"They said we need to play it better
They said just sing like Eddie Vedder
Bring us something we can sell"
"The piece of paper that you've got
says you can get into my pocket
but you can't get inside my heart
or inside my head"
"There's nothing quite like
being sure of what's inside your heart"
"Responsibility
What's that!
Responsibilty
Not quite yet!"
"am i the one that's going crazy?
i'm so tired of masquerading
i pretend to be so well adjusted
maybe it's just me and i'm disgusted"
Thursday, May 14, 2009
MxPx Tickets Info...
A couple weeks ago I received a comment from someone who found my blog and was interested in how to get MxPx tickets for their May 22 show at Mao Live House. The only way to get them is to go to the venue. Get them in advance as they are cheaper.
Prices:
Advance- 180 RMB
At Door- 250 RMB
VIP Package- 580 RMB(I have no idea what this is and the girl I talked to on the phone at Mao didn't know either.)
For maps and directions go to the following website:
www.maolive.com/main.html
I hope the lone commenter finds the tickets. If you do, maybe we can meet AT THE SHOW! (and if you are a true MxPx fan you will know why I capitalized those three words.)
Prices:
Advance- 180 RMB
At Door- 250 RMB
VIP Package- 580 RMB(I have no idea what this is and the girl I talked to on the phone at Mao didn't know either.)
For maps and directions go to the following website:
www.maolive.com/main.html
I hope the lone commenter finds the tickets. If you do, maybe we can meet AT THE SHOW! (and if you are a true MxPx fan you will know why I capitalized those three words.)
Friday, May 1, 2009
Labor Day Weekend...
Part 1- Its A Pretty Good Wall, Not Great
Labor Day Weekend in Beijing apparently means one thing: music and lots of it! However, I started my Labor Day with a trip to the Mutianyu secion of the Great Wall. Early on Friday morning me and my friend Carol headed out on a three hour bus ride for the mountain resort town that is built up around this section of the wall. Riding through the mountains made me feel like I was in the Smokies. Indeed the section of the wall is so touristy, I felt like I was at a Great Wall attraction that had been built in Branson or Gatlinburg.
After getting tickets, you walk through a street lined with vendors selling all sorts of "tourist kitsch" souveneirs. There were t shirts that proudly proclaimed "I climbed the Great Wall!", the famous one day watches showing Mao Zedong waving to the crowds (so named because one day is how long they work for after buying them), hats, and the one I bought: the Terra Cotta Warrior Chess Set!
After making your way through the stalls, it is time to board the gondola to the top of the wall. (Gatlinburg anyone?) It is a creaky five minute ride that is bordered by beautiful mountain scenery. At the top, you are able to walk along a restored section of the wall and look into the distance at ruins that are unaccesible to the public.
View From The Gondola
Another View
I'm the king of the world!
Me and EF Teacher Carol Who Vounteered To Be My Guide For The Day.
When you've seen enough of the wall, it's time to head back down, this time on a bobsled run that curves the length of the mountain. I was going much faster than I should have been and had to stop very quickly as the Italian woman five people ahead of me was freaking out and kept stopping her sled and holding up traffic. All in all, a fun experience and definitely different from my first experience with the Great Wall.
Bobsled Run
Alright Italian Woman, Out of My Way!
Part 2- We ain't got no place to go, let's go to the punk rawk show!
After returning to Beijing and getting a short nap, it was time to meet my friend Karen to head over to D-22, one of Beijing's best spots for hearing live, indie music. This is the venue's third anniversary weekend and they are celebrating with three nights of great bands.
D-22 represents everything I love about indie music: many of the staff such as bartenders (who are very friendly even if you just order a coke) and door staff are either musicians or filmmakers. The place is not fancy, it is all about the music (and occasionally the movies). Run by an American man who is a college professor and wanted to provide a place for his musically inclined students to perform in Beijing, D-22 is the cultivating ground for young talented musicians in this city.
All the ingredients for a successful punk show were there: the true punks with their wild hairstyles, the preppy college kids, the preppy college kids who want to be punks but shop at Hot Topic rather than thrift stores, international students miles away from home (and their home country's more restrictive drinking age laws, 15 kuai Tsingtao for everyone, Tsingtao party!, Who has money?), the young hipsters who are slowly losing their hipness (me), and the old gray haired guys who just love music and don't care what anyone thinks (me one day). All in all it was an ecletic mix of foreigners and Chinese all united in their love of music.
Opening the show was a Chinese band whose name I did not get. It consisted of 2 guys and a girl all three playing guitar and the occaisonal violin. I have never seen someone "shred" on a violin before though. They weren't extremely experienced, but you could tell they love playing with each other. Their smiles gave this away immediately. They are talented and with a few more years polisihing their sound, I think Beijing can expect great things out of this band. This is when music is real and means something. They reminded me of a young Starflyer 59.
Up next was a group of Americans from Shanghai named Rogue Transmision. They played a rockabilly infused punk rock and at times reminded me of Gasoline Heart. This band, especially their frontman, had the most energy and stage presence of any band in the evening. After the show, I purchased a cd that their lead singer was selling and he seemed so appreciative even going so far to ask my name and thank me for buying one. I have never seen a band be that appreciative to the fans. Can't wait to see what happens with Rogue Transmission in the future.
Beijing punk veterans The Gar took the stage next. They are a pretty standard pop punk band and while I enjoyed their music, it was hard to follow Rogue Transmission. Their stage presence just didn't measure up and most of the crowd seemed to agree with me because while they received a good reception, people took more time to visit with the band more as background music.
At 1 am, the room darkened and a screen dropped down. An energy was in the air. It was time for the band everyone came to see: Carsick Cars, the leader of Beijing's indie undergound. Taking pages out of Sonic Youth and the Ramones' books, Carsick Cars didn't disappoint the eager crowd. I also can't help but think of late 90s rockers Morella's Forest from the heyday of indie rock on Tooth and Nail Records. With simple but catchy lyrics and infectious melodies, Carsick Cars know how to excite their fans. Before they took the stage we were treated to their first music video: Mogu Mogu (Mushroom Mushroom) a trippy, psychadelic video that could have been filmed on the set of Willy Wonka. Carsick Cars didn't disappoint, playing a mix of their hits and brand new material ending with the anthem of the Beijing underground: Zhong nan hai. Zhong nan hai is the name of the building from which the Communist party runs the country, it is also the name of a popular, cheap cigarette brand. Is the song about the cigarrete or a subtle jab at the government? It is up to the listener to decide.
Here are the lyrics roughly translated to English:
Zhong nan hai, Zhong nan hai
I only smoke Zhong nan hai
Zhong nan hai, Zhong han hai
Who smoked my Zhong nan hai
Not exactly Shakespeare, but gets a crowd stirred up.
Amidst the crowd surfing and head bobbing, the crowd responded by showering the band with Zhong Nan Hai cigarrettes, a Carsick Cars show tradition. Here is some video I got of their closing song:
Also check out the following links for their 2 music videos, the first one was shot at D-22:
Zhong Nan Hai: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XODIzMjc2MA==.html
Mogu Mogu:
http://www.vimeo.com/4372048
I arrived home at 2:30 am and was a zombie at work today, but it was worth it to see bands on the forefront of music in Beijing today.
Labor Day Weekend in Beijing apparently means one thing: music and lots of it! However, I started my Labor Day with a trip to the Mutianyu secion of the Great Wall. Early on Friday morning me and my friend Carol headed out on a three hour bus ride for the mountain resort town that is built up around this section of the wall. Riding through the mountains made me feel like I was in the Smokies. Indeed the section of the wall is so touristy, I felt like I was at a Great Wall attraction that had been built in Branson or Gatlinburg.
After getting tickets, you walk through a street lined with vendors selling all sorts of "tourist kitsch" souveneirs. There were t shirts that proudly proclaimed "I climbed the Great Wall!", the famous one day watches showing Mao Zedong waving to the crowds (so named because one day is how long they work for after buying them), hats, and the one I bought: the Terra Cotta Warrior Chess Set!
After making your way through the stalls, it is time to board the gondola to the top of the wall. (Gatlinburg anyone?) It is a creaky five minute ride that is bordered by beautiful mountain scenery. At the top, you are able to walk along a restored section of the wall and look into the distance at ruins that are unaccesible to the public.
View From The Gondola
Another View
I'm the king of the world!
Me and EF Teacher Carol Who Vounteered To Be My Guide For The Day.
When you've seen enough of the wall, it's time to head back down, this time on a bobsled run that curves the length of the mountain. I was going much faster than I should have been and had to stop very quickly as the Italian woman five people ahead of me was freaking out and kept stopping her sled and holding up traffic. All in all, a fun experience and definitely different from my first experience with the Great Wall.
Bobsled Run
Alright Italian Woman, Out of My Way!
Part 2- We ain't got no place to go, let's go to the punk rawk show!
After returning to Beijing and getting a short nap, it was time to meet my friend Karen to head over to D-22, one of Beijing's best spots for hearing live, indie music. This is the venue's third anniversary weekend and they are celebrating with three nights of great bands.
D-22 represents everything I love about indie music: many of the staff such as bartenders (who are very friendly even if you just order a coke) and door staff are either musicians or filmmakers. The place is not fancy, it is all about the music (and occasionally the movies). Run by an American man who is a college professor and wanted to provide a place for his musically inclined students to perform in Beijing, D-22 is the cultivating ground for young talented musicians in this city.
All the ingredients for a successful punk show were there: the true punks with their wild hairstyles, the preppy college kids, the preppy college kids who want to be punks but shop at Hot Topic rather than thrift stores, international students miles away from home (and their home country's more restrictive drinking age laws, 15 kuai Tsingtao for everyone, Tsingtao party!, Who has money?), the young hipsters who are slowly losing their hipness (me), and the old gray haired guys who just love music and don't care what anyone thinks (me one day). All in all it was an ecletic mix of foreigners and Chinese all united in their love of music.
Opening the show was a Chinese band whose name I did not get. It consisted of 2 guys and a girl all three playing guitar and the occaisonal violin. I have never seen someone "shred" on a violin before though. They weren't extremely experienced, but you could tell they love playing with each other. Their smiles gave this away immediately. They are talented and with a few more years polisihing their sound, I think Beijing can expect great things out of this band. This is when music is real and means something. They reminded me of a young Starflyer 59.
Up next was a group of Americans from Shanghai named Rogue Transmision. They played a rockabilly infused punk rock and at times reminded me of Gasoline Heart. This band, especially their frontman, had the most energy and stage presence of any band in the evening. After the show, I purchased a cd that their lead singer was selling and he seemed so appreciative even going so far to ask my name and thank me for buying one. I have never seen a band be that appreciative to the fans. Can't wait to see what happens with Rogue Transmission in the future.
Beijing punk veterans The Gar took the stage next. They are a pretty standard pop punk band and while I enjoyed their music, it was hard to follow Rogue Transmission. Their stage presence just didn't measure up and most of the crowd seemed to agree with me because while they received a good reception, people took more time to visit with the band more as background music.
At 1 am, the room darkened and a screen dropped down. An energy was in the air. It was time for the band everyone came to see: Carsick Cars, the leader of Beijing's indie undergound. Taking pages out of Sonic Youth and the Ramones' books, Carsick Cars didn't disappoint the eager crowd. I also can't help but think of late 90s rockers Morella's Forest from the heyday of indie rock on Tooth and Nail Records. With simple but catchy lyrics and infectious melodies, Carsick Cars know how to excite their fans. Before they took the stage we were treated to their first music video: Mogu Mogu (Mushroom Mushroom) a trippy, psychadelic video that could have been filmed on the set of Willy Wonka. Carsick Cars didn't disappoint, playing a mix of their hits and brand new material ending with the anthem of the Beijing underground: Zhong nan hai. Zhong nan hai is the name of the building from which the Communist party runs the country, it is also the name of a popular, cheap cigarette brand. Is the song about the cigarrete or a subtle jab at the government? It is up to the listener to decide.
Here are the lyrics roughly translated to English:
Zhong nan hai, Zhong nan hai
I only smoke Zhong nan hai
Zhong nan hai, Zhong han hai
Who smoked my Zhong nan hai
Not exactly Shakespeare, but gets a crowd stirred up.
Amidst the crowd surfing and head bobbing, the crowd responded by showering the band with Zhong Nan Hai cigarrettes, a Carsick Cars show tradition. Here is some video I got of their closing song:
Also check out the following links for their 2 music videos, the first one was shot at D-22:
Zhong Nan Hai: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XODIzMjc2MA==.html
Mogu Mogu:
http://www.vimeo.com/4372048
I arrived home at 2:30 am and was a zombie at work today, but it was worth it to see bands on the forefront of music in Beijing today.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Holy Rice Cakes Batman!...
I do most of my grocery shopping (particularly for hard to carry home items like water and drinks) from a website called Beijing Home Delivery. It is a wonderful service run by a group of English speaking Chinese men. The prices are reasonable and you get all five of the city's English expat magazines delivered with your order. Most of their items are sold in Sam's Club type quantities which saves you some money on not having to have delivery so often; they do charge a small delivery fee, but because a large quantity of groceries is hard to get home on the subway, you end up spending that money on a taxi anyway.
My latest order arrived this morning. In addition to the usual Cokes and bottled water, I ordered a bag of rice, the smallest one they had, and since I don't know the metric system, here is what I ended up with:
I think I will have enough rice until I leave China mid June! Most Chinese families use lots of rice per week, so these large quantity bags are common. For singles and other families that use less, you can buy rice "loose" in the produce section of the stores by scooping how much you need into a bag. I thought based on price and the fact that it was the "small" size, I was ordering about a pound of rice. I guess I need to learn the metric system; this is bigger than most bags of dog food I have bought before!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Xian Tim...
On Sunday night, I headed out late on an overnight train from Beijing to Xian. What follows is a full report on the experience.
Beijing West Railway Station
My Bunk
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Come On Get Happy!
Part 1- I'm on a train, don't you ever forget!
Beijing West Railway Station
Arriving at Beijing West Railway Station can be a bit intimidating due to its size. It is the largest of three stations in Beijing and is currently the largest in all of Asia. China has an extensive railway network linking Beijing with any city in the country and even with Russia, most destinations are just an overnight ride. Once inside, its not that difficult, you run your luggage through a scanner and then find your track by matching your train number with a track number. Its a good thing numbers are written the same in English as they are in Chinese though, because everything else is Chinese!
After locating my train's track, I had some time to kill so went off in search of some food for dinner. There were several Chinese restaurants, a hamburger stand, and even a Peking duck restaurant as well as the usual McDonalds and KFC. I settled on a Chinese cafeteria style restaurant and ordered some jiaozi- boiled dumplings. They were good, nothing special, but good.
My train started boarding in an hour after dinner so I made my way to the lounge area and killed the time on my Nintendo DS. Soon after boarding, I made my way quickly to my bunk in the hard sleeper cars. Hard sleeper is the economy sleeper class. You are in an open, clean, compartment (no door) with 5 other travelers. There are 6 bunks in the compartment. An upgrade to this would be the soft sleeper, but the only differences are a door and 4 beds instead of 6. Beyond that there is deluxe soft sleeper (2 more comfortable beds and private Western style toilet) but if you can afford deluxe soft sleeper you might as well book a flight. Hard sleeper is the recommended way to go, its the way the locals and adventurous foreigners do it. Even though they say the hard does not refer to the comfort level of the beds, I found that to be an adequate description! All in all it wasn't bad, lights went out shortly after ten and I slept decently. My only problem was one of my bunkmates who insisted on watching movies on his laptop until well after midnight without headphones! Hey buddy you aren't the only one on this train. The Chinese men in my compartment handled this quite well though eventually getting him to turn the volume down to a more acceptable level.
Crowded Hard Sleeper Car
My Bunk
Part 2- Arrival In Xian
Xian is an ancient city surrounded by a mostly reconstructed city wall. It is in Shanxi province. The city is so beautiful, smaller than Beiijng. I kept trying to figure out why it was so beautiful and finally later in the day it hit me: trees, there are trees everywhere! Its been so long since I've seen so many trees!
Xian is an ancient city surrounded by a mostly reconstructed city wall. It is in Shanxi province. The city is so beautiful, smaller than Beiijng. I kept trying to figure out why it was so beautiful and finally later in the day it hit me: trees, there are trees everywhere! Its been so long since I've seen so many trees!
The Beauty Of Xian, Mountains Surrounding The Terra Cotta Army Museum
After navigating myself out of the Xian train station and locating my hired guide, Penny from China Travel Service, we set off to the first stop of the day, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. That is the tower you see in the following picture. It is at the center of an Ancient Buddhist Temple built as a storehouse of Buddhist scriptures that were brought from India. Throughout the tour Penny told me many interesting stories about the various rooms in the temple even explaining the meaning behind the murals in the temple rooms, things I wouldn't have gotten on my own.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Later I stopped for a picture with Happy Buddha. My guide told me that while I was getting my picture made that a person said "Look at that foreigner, his belly looks like Happy Buddha!" I always knew I had the body of a god!
Come On Get Happy!
Part 3- The Terra Cotta Army
Next, it was on to my real reason for the trip, the Terra Cotta Army. This is one of those things you have to do in China. The army is located about an hour's drive from Xian. On the way we stopped at a factory where they make souveneir warriors and I got the following photo:
Next, it was on to my real reason for the trip, the Terra Cotta Army. This is one of those things you have to do in China. The army is located about an hour's drive from Xian. On the way we stopped at a factory where they make souveneir warriors and I got the following photo:
At The Factory
In the factory, I got to watch the process of making a souveneir warrior. They make them in all sizes from desktop size up to life size. After the short tour, I was escorted to the obligatory gift shop. The sellers were pushy but not too much. Having seen this before on previous tours I didn't waste much time here because I knew I couldn't afford most of it and then had no way of getting most of it home. (Who actually buys life size lions carved out of jade and then pays thousands of dollars to have them shipped to the U.S.?) I picked up a couple of small warriors and was on my way. My tour guide was quite surprised at how quick I was. Most tours spend about an hour or more on these shopping excursions. The tour directors make a comission off of the sales, although I am sure she didn't get much from my paltry purchase!
Next, the warriors. The Terra Cotta Army was contructed under orders of the first emperor of China's Qing dynasty, the same man responsible for the Great Wall. He desired to continue his rule in the afterlife. In 1979, some farmers were digging a well and started digging up arms, legs, and heads. They sent them off to the government who found out they had discovered the tomb of this emperor! Today one of the farmers sits in the gift shop (they say it's him) and signs autographs. After a short film with some of the worst acting and props I have seen (I hope the real Qing army didn't wear plastic helmets!) I was taken through each of the excavated pits. It is a work in progress, many of the soldiers are still in pieces and are being restored by archaeologists. Here is a picture of the largest pit, sorry it's in black and white, my new camera allows you to change from color to black and white and sometimes just takes pictures in whatever color it feels like.
In the factory, I got to watch the process of making a souveneir warrior. They make them in all sizes from desktop size up to life size. After the short tour, I was escorted to the obligatory gift shop. The sellers were pushy but not too much. Having seen this before on previous tours I didn't waste much time here because I knew I couldn't afford most of it and then had no way of getting most of it home. (Who actually buys life size lions carved out of jade and then pays thousands of dollars to have them shipped to the U.S.?) I picked up a couple of small warriors and was on my way. My tour guide was quite surprised at how quick I was. Most tours spend about an hour or more on these shopping excursions. The tour directors make a comission off of the sales, although I am sure she didn't get much from my paltry purchase!
Next, the warriors. The Terra Cotta Army was contructed under orders of the first emperor of China's Qing dynasty, the same man responsible for the Great Wall. He desired to continue his rule in the afterlife. In 1979, some farmers were digging a well and started digging up arms, legs, and heads. They sent them off to the government who found out they had discovered the tomb of this emperor! Today one of the farmers sits in the gift shop (they say it's him) and signs autographs. After a short film with some of the worst acting and props I have seen (I hope the real Qing army didn't wear plastic helmets!) I was taken through each of the excavated pits. It is a work in progress, many of the soldiers are still in pieces and are being restored by archaeologists. Here is a picture of the largest pit, sorry it's in black and white, my new camera allows you to change from color to black and white and sometimes just takes pictures in whatever color it feels like.
Pit Of Warrior Ruins; Can You See The Horse's Rear End?
After several hours at the warrior museum, I was hungry so my guide took me to a restaurant where I had a delicious dish of breaded deep fried chicken cooked with cashews, peanuts, and deep fried strips of potato. I have never seen this dish in Beijing! I also got to watch noodles being made and sample a local delicacy, Pomegrante wine. It was very strong and I could barely handle the communion cup sized sample!
Delicious Lunch
Part 4- Back To Beijing
Later, after the tour, I wondered around downtown Xian on my own for awhile and then headed to the train station. I got ripped off by a rickshaw driver but if you don't get ripped off at least once in China, you haven't really experienced the country. While hailing a cab, the rickshaw driver pulled up and offered to take me to the train station. "Duo shao qian?" I said. (How much money?) He showed me a ten and a twenty rmb bill. Okay, 30 rmb is reasonable plus I haven't ridden on a rickshaw yet. (I don't have a wife to make angry life Clifton did!) It was a cool ride, he took me through a lot of back streets and I got to see how the locals live in Xian. After arrival at the train station 20 minutes later, I handed him my 100 rmb note and he handed me my change all rolled up. I didn't think to count it but upon arrival at the train station I realized he had given me the 10 and 20 rmb note he had shown me. The 30 rmb cab ride cost me 70 rmb! Oh well, he probably needs the money plus it is all part of the China experience! (Actually I am sure he gets rich pulling this scam on foreigners all the time.)
Later, after the tour, I wondered around downtown Xian on my own for awhile and then headed to the train station. I got ripped off by a rickshaw driver but if you don't get ripped off at least once in China, you haven't really experienced the country. While hailing a cab, the rickshaw driver pulled up and offered to take me to the train station. "Duo shao qian?" I said. (How much money?) He showed me a ten and a twenty rmb bill. Okay, 30 rmb is reasonable plus I haven't ridden on a rickshaw yet. (I don't have a wife to make angry life Clifton did!) It was a cool ride, he took me through a lot of back streets and I got to see how the locals live in Xian. After arrival at the train station 20 minutes later, I handed him my 100 rmb note and he handed me my change all rolled up. I didn't think to count it but upon arrival at the train station I realized he had given me the 10 and 20 rmb note he had shown me. The 30 rmb cab ride cost me 70 rmb! Oh well, he probably needs the money plus it is all part of the China experience! (Actually I am sure he gets rich pulling this scam on foreigners all the time.)
The Xian train station is a nightmare: crowded, dirty, and hot. I had a couple of hours to kill so I played more DS, watched The Office on my Ipod, and listened to MxPx for awhile. Once back on the train, I was again in hard sleeper this time with a very friendly Chinese couple and 2 others. I headed to the diner car for dinner and had a simple stir fry of pepper, onions, and beef with green tea on the side. It was a decent meal and the man in charge of the diner who seemed to think he was running a place of the caliber of Emeril or Gordon Ramsey gave me a good laugh. Next, it was Benadryl and passing out in my bunk. I arrived back in Beijing early, around 6:30 am exhausted but glad to have added another unique experience to my year in China.
Diner Car
Back To Beijing
Saturday, April 18, 2009
An Easter Gift...
In the picture above, you are looking at an Easter Egg. This was a gift from one of my students and frequent blog reader, Tina. Tina had noticed how on my blog last week I mentioned that I really missed the Easter Eggs this year. Tina got this egg at church last Sunday at Haidian Christian. The Sunday School children at this church made these for the congregation. They are hollowed out egg shells that have been hand painted. Pictured on the egg is a cross as well as the Chinese symbols for peace, appropriate to me as I end each class by saying to the students: "See ya when I see ya! Peace!" (something I picked up at Camp Stewart a few years back, it is how we ended activities there)
On the surface, an egg may not seem like much, but to me it represents what I love most about China and will miss most: the thoughfulness and kindness of the locals. This student remembered that I mentioned missing Easter Eggs and also made sure to personalize it to my personality. That took a lot of thought to do. I am continually impressed by this type of thoughtfulness on the part of my students here, none of my American students ever were even close to being this kind.
Tonight, I head out by train to Xian to visit the famous Terra Cotta Warriors, expect lots of pics when I return on Tuesday.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Sunday...
Unlike Christmas, Easter is a western holiday that has not yet been commercialized in China. That was actually kind of refreshing as it allowed me to focus solely on the religious significance of the day rather than being bomarded by images of clucking rabbits on tv selling chocolate eggs and grown men in bunny suits giving out cheap candy to children. It also led to some interesting conversations with Chinese friends who had never heard of Easter before. I did miss the colored eggs though, well maybe next year.
This morning I attended the Easter service and celebration at Congregation of the Good Shepherd. The service was a beautiful combination of music, liturgy, scripture, preaching, and communion. Pastor Dan preached an inspired sermon on the importance and benefits of sharing our faith in Christ. The worship room was filled to standing room only (people that my friend Bro. Brian Rainey would call "Easter Lilies" as they attend only on Easter). The choir was magnificent proclaiming the message of Easter through song.
After the service, the children had an egg hunt in a nearby park and the adults had coffee/tea and chatted. I was able to meet several new people as well as get caught up on EF happenings with fellow EF teacher Sue from EF Dongzhimen Center.
Following the coffee time, we went back inside for an elaborate Easter luncheon buffet catered by the Capital Club. The Capital Club is an organization of foreign businessmen. One part of our agreement with them is that they provide our meeting space in their function hall but if we need any food, we have to use their catering service. While it is expensive, I felt the meal was well worth the 180 rmb per person (about 30 bucks, although if you can't afford the full price wealthier members of the congregation do help make up the difference for those who can't pay). The meal featured a Chinese barbecue station with duck, chicken, and pork; a carving station with ham and prime rib; a salad buffet; lamb and chicken; various vegetables; and an elaborate dessert station with make your own waffles, cakes, and ice cream! I felt like I was at the Bellagio buffet! It was definitely of the quality you would receive in a five star hotel.
Here is a video compilation of the service as well as some pictures:
The Altar Ready For Easter
Dessert Plate With Chocolate Rabbit
This morning I attended the Easter service and celebration at Congregation of the Good Shepherd. The service was a beautiful combination of music, liturgy, scripture, preaching, and communion. Pastor Dan preached an inspired sermon on the importance and benefits of sharing our faith in Christ. The worship room was filled to standing room only (people that my friend Bro. Brian Rainey would call "Easter Lilies" as they attend only on Easter). The choir was magnificent proclaiming the message of Easter through song.
After the service, the children had an egg hunt in a nearby park and the adults had coffee/tea and chatted. I was able to meet several new people as well as get caught up on EF happenings with fellow EF teacher Sue from EF Dongzhimen Center.
Following the coffee time, we went back inside for an elaborate Easter luncheon buffet catered by the Capital Club. The Capital Club is an organization of foreign businessmen. One part of our agreement with them is that they provide our meeting space in their function hall but if we need any food, we have to use their catering service. While it is expensive, I felt the meal was well worth the 180 rmb per person (about 30 bucks, although if you can't afford the full price wealthier members of the congregation do help make up the difference for those who can't pay). The meal featured a Chinese barbecue station with duck, chicken, and pork; a carving station with ham and prime rib; a salad buffet; lamb and chicken; various vegetables; and an elaborate dessert station with make your own waffles, cakes, and ice cream! I felt like I was at the Bellagio buffet! It was definitely of the quality you would receive in a five star hotel.
Here is a video compilation of the service as well as some pictures:
The Altar Ready For Easter
Dessert Plate With Chocolate Rabbit
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Office Beijing...
What do you do when you are bored at work, make your own television shows! Armed with a new digital camera, I wanted to try out its video capabilities. Hope you enjoy the result.
Before you watch my video watch this clip from The Office to get some context. Don't forget to come back when finished and watch my video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AC1oj_SWJU
Before you watch my video watch this clip from The Office to get some context. Don't forget to come back when finished and watch my video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AC1oj_SWJU
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Beijing World Park Preview...
Yesterday I went to Beijing World Park, a theme park where you can tour the entire world in an afternoon. Since one hour photo takes a week in China (don't ask) and I am reduced to using a film camera after leaving mine in a cab, I won't write an article until next week. Here is a souveneir photo I had taken:
Dang taxis, I said THE LUXOR not LUXOR. This doesn't look like the Nevada desert.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Hometown Cafe...
Normally when I do these restaurant reviews, I like to post pictures that I have taken. That is impossible today as I left my camera in a taxi. After this disappointment I decided to drown my sorrows in sweet, blueberry goodness.
The restaurant- Paul's American Steak and Eggs- Several years ago, fresh from selling his diner in Florida, Canadian native Paul and his wife Yang Yang decided to take an extended 6 month vacation in China. They had plans to return to the U.S., probably California, and open a new restaurant. While in Beijing, Paul began craving the western food he missed from home. He realized he couldn't find it in China and what western food there was here was only in hotels and was overpriced. He saw a need for an American style diner restaurant that offered good American comfort food at reasonable prices. After finding an old bar in the Jianguomen foreign embassy area that was for sale and renovating it, Paul's American Steak and Eggs was born. While it is not the only game in town anymore (competitor Grandma's Kitchen is just next door), Paul keeps packing in hungry expats looking for a taste of home and Chinese people looking for western food at a decent price now in two locations. When Paul is not barking orders or working in the kitchen, you can find him chatting with his customers. He is also an accomplished dessert chef serving up the best western desserts you will find in Beijing. If its western food, chances are Paul has it on his menu. He obviously specializes in hearty breakfasts (steak and eggs, country fried steak and eggs, ham and eggs and the heart attack special: eggs, biscuit or toast, with ham, sausage, AND bacon.) Beyond that he has an extensive menu of appetizers, steak and chicken entrees, pastas and pizzas. Rounding this out is a full bar with cheap cocktails and imported American soft drinks. (Yay Dr. Pepper!)
Here is a picture I was able to find on the internet. Yes that is Paul's face on the sign.
Ambience- Picture your favorite home owned restaurant in any small American town and you know what this place looks like. Everything is simple here: decor, chairs, etc. Clanging of plates and dishes can be heard from the kitchen. People are smoking and the smell of fresh coffee is in the air. It reminds me of Hometown Cafe in Bruce or Martha's Menu in Corinth, in other words, Perfect!
Service- Service here has never been lacking and is always quick. Paul works his staff hard and it pays off in satisfied customers who never have to wait long for anything.
Food- After church on Sunday is the perfect time for a late breakfast. I opted today for the pancake breakfast with blueberry and whip cream topping. The meal came with three large cakes covered in blueberries and what tasted like homemade whip cream. On the side were 2 scrambled eggs and 2 thick pieces of bacon. My only complaint would be that it would have been nice to have the eggs on a separate plate. When the blueberry syrup runs off the pancakes and mixes with the eggs, they turn green. Maybe I should have had ham instead of bacon? The pancakes were large but fluffy, the bacon greasy, and the eggs cooked well. A Dr. Pepper on the side helps me to cope with being away from home. The food here is basic comfort food. It is not fancy, but it tastes good and fills you up.
The Price- My total bill came out to 70 yuan, about 10 dollars, a small price for such a filling meal. Paul's is the best deal in town.
Total Sweet Potatos- 5/5 I have never been disappointed here, definitely my favorite restaurant in Beijing.
The restaurant- Paul's American Steak and Eggs- Several years ago, fresh from selling his diner in Florida, Canadian native Paul and his wife Yang Yang decided to take an extended 6 month vacation in China. They had plans to return to the U.S., probably California, and open a new restaurant. While in Beijing, Paul began craving the western food he missed from home. He realized he couldn't find it in China and what western food there was here was only in hotels and was overpriced. He saw a need for an American style diner restaurant that offered good American comfort food at reasonable prices. After finding an old bar in the Jianguomen foreign embassy area that was for sale and renovating it, Paul's American Steak and Eggs was born. While it is not the only game in town anymore (competitor Grandma's Kitchen is just next door), Paul keeps packing in hungry expats looking for a taste of home and Chinese people looking for western food at a decent price now in two locations. When Paul is not barking orders or working in the kitchen, you can find him chatting with his customers. He is also an accomplished dessert chef serving up the best western desserts you will find in Beijing. If its western food, chances are Paul has it on his menu. He obviously specializes in hearty breakfasts (steak and eggs, country fried steak and eggs, ham and eggs and the heart attack special: eggs, biscuit or toast, with ham, sausage, AND bacon.) Beyond that he has an extensive menu of appetizers, steak and chicken entrees, pastas and pizzas. Rounding this out is a full bar with cheap cocktails and imported American soft drinks. (Yay Dr. Pepper!)
Here is a picture I was able to find on the internet. Yes that is Paul's face on the sign.
Ambience- Picture your favorite home owned restaurant in any small American town and you know what this place looks like. Everything is simple here: decor, chairs, etc. Clanging of plates and dishes can be heard from the kitchen. People are smoking and the smell of fresh coffee is in the air. It reminds me of Hometown Cafe in Bruce or Martha's Menu in Corinth, in other words, Perfect!
Service- Service here has never been lacking and is always quick. Paul works his staff hard and it pays off in satisfied customers who never have to wait long for anything.
Food- After church on Sunday is the perfect time for a late breakfast. I opted today for the pancake breakfast with blueberry and whip cream topping. The meal came with three large cakes covered in blueberries and what tasted like homemade whip cream. On the side were 2 scrambled eggs and 2 thick pieces of bacon. My only complaint would be that it would have been nice to have the eggs on a separate plate. When the blueberry syrup runs off the pancakes and mixes with the eggs, they turn green. Maybe I should have had ham instead of bacon? The pancakes were large but fluffy, the bacon greasy, and the eggs cooked well. A Dr. Pepper on the side helps me to cope with being away from home. The food here is basic comfort food. It is not fancy, but it tastes good and fills you up.
The Price- My total bill came out to 70 yuan, about 10 dollars, a small price for such a filling meal. Paul's is the best deal in town.
Total Sweet Potatos- 5/5 I have never been disappointed here, definitely my favorite restaurant in Beijing.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
A Photo Tour Of Wal-Mart...
Wal-Mart, that necessary evil that destroys small town business and offers us everything you could imagine at amazing prices. They have them in China too, although they are a little different from what we have come to love and hate in America. For starters, instead of being one massive floor, the Wal-Mart in my neighborhood takes up three stories connected by flat escalators with grooves in the track that keep your shopping cart from running away. Here is a tour of my recent visit. Please keep your arms inside the vehicle at all times, off we go.
A Chinese Staple- Jiaozi- Dumplings
Whole Dried Ducks To Take Home For Roasting- At Least You Don't Take Them Home In A Cage.
Here is something I don't understand. Why is half of the imported section taken up by Danish butter cookies? I like them, but when I go to the grocery store, these ususally aren't on my list. Are there a lot of Danish expats living here? I haven't met a one.
I'd much rather go to the regular cookie section for Strawberry Oreos! Never seen these before!
The Entrance
Okay, looks like a Wal-Mart
Smaller but well stocked electronics section.
Let's go down to the grocery section, watch your step and don't run on the escalator.
Fresh Fish- You actually take them home swimming in a bag where you kill them and cook them.
Turtles Anyone? Remember this is not the pet store, this is the grocery section.
A Chinese Staple- Jiaozi- Dumplings
Whole Dried Ducks To Take Home For Roasting- At Least You Don't Take Them Home In A Cage.
Here is something I don't understand. Why is half of the imported section taken up by Danish butter cookies? I like them, but when I go to the grocery store, these ususally aren't on my list. Are there a lot of Danish expats living here? I haven't met a one.
I'd much rather go to the regular cookie section for Strawberry Oreos! Never seen these before!
Don't forget your Ritz Crackers!
Adult Milk Powder Bow Chicka Wow Wow (I need help.)
One major difference is the extensive wine and liquor section. The only time I have seen a similar section in the U.S. is in Branson, MO. Why does China, one of the most conservative nations on the planet and Branson, one of the most conservative family towns on the planet have the largest liquor sections in their Wal-Mart?
That's the tour. Hope you enjoyed it!
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