What We Will Miss

Things we will miss when we've left Beijing 

**This list is not, I repeat not, in order of importance, but in order of I what I thought about first while sitting on the subway this morning** 

** ** also, I did write this almost entirely while using public transit, so there may be typos. I apologize** ** 

1. Ease of using public transport -- we've gotten really very used to just hopping on the subway and getting wherever we need to go. While the new Metro Rail line in Houston will be nice, it's a far cry from the convenience and accessibility of the Beijing DTA. Especially from our house, which is close to the connection of two major lines. 
2. Markets -- I have an abiding love for a good market. Whether it's a vegetable market, a clothing market, or a household goods market I love it. The bargaining, the stuff, the cool finds, and weird things. Target is still my favorite in the US, but if I had to choose between it and a nice bazaar, I'd definitely go for the bazaar. 
3. Not tipping-- in China you don't tip. Anyone. And it's lovely. Pedicures are already cheap here, but when you take into account that you don't have to add 20% on top of that... Well, call me a cheapskate, but I love it. 
4. Cultural differences -- now, this may seem counterintuitive, but while they drive me up the wall, I still love the little nuances and big differences between our cultures. It's interesting to learn about what people here believe causes illness and what will cure it. Or the fact that dental hygiene is only important AFTER one has lost ones baby teeth. 
5. Prices-- this more or less goes hand in hand with the tipping thing, but you've gotta love that really, really good Chinese food won't set you back more than five dollars. And good hot pot, can be had for less than $10. I've recently purchased shoes for $10, and don't even get me started on the jewelry. The cost of living in general is really nice, and even if rent can be a little high when your monthly electric bill is less than $30, even in the summer, well, it's hard to complain. 
6. People-- no, I'm not talking about The Horde that I race to beat to the subway doors each morning, or the teaming masses that pack into the subway car with me. I'm talking about the friends and connections we've gained here. The couple at the fruit shop, the man at the vegetable shop, the people at the Muslim restaurant down the road, the noodle restaurant woman, the couple that makes my breakfast every morning, the woman that flags down the bus in the morning, the cleaning lady at the school who suffers through my attempts at Chinese. These people have become a part of our life here. I don't know any of their names but I have almost daily interactions with most of them. And then there are the friends we've made. The people that have kept us from clawing our eyes out in boredom, introduced us to cool new places to go, things to do, things to eat. The people we'll stay in contact with for the rest of our lives. And then, for me, there are my students. Sometimes I worry that I'm an overly-attached teacher, but in the five months that I've been with these children I've grown to care about them, worry about them, and love them. Of course, even if we were to stay I wouldn't be their teacher any more, but I hope that I'm able to stay in contact with them and see the amazing people I have every confidence they'll become. The Red Lions are a special group of children, and I'm going to have a really, really hard time saying goodbye to them. 
7. Food-- as foreigners here we make a joke that is generally phrased something like "when Chinese people want to go out to eat Chinese food what do they say? 'Lets go get food.'?". But in reality I'm pretty sure they specify the region in China they're in the mood to eat from. Sichuan, Yunan, Beijing, Zhenjiang, Shanghai... I'm going to miss that variety, and availability when we move back. Because while there are Sichuan restaurants, it's not the same. And I've never seen a Yunan restaurant, which is a huge shame, because it is amazing food. And, to tie it in with price, it's really nice to be able to feed 6 adults a full meal at a nice restaurant for under $50. 

What We Wont Miss

This week has been rather eventful, and still I can't think of anything to write about.

Maybe it's the stress of getting the Red Lions ready for Graduation, and my eminent departure.

Or the stress of finding out that the University of Houston failed to warn Super Husband that if he didn't register for courses for four "terms", or one year, he would be automatically un-enrolled, despite the fact that the scholarship he's on was awarded through the University itself.

But this week seems a blur.

Super Husband and I did make another dent in our list of things to take home. Two tea sets have been acquired, now we just need to acquire the tea. Shoes, purses, and wallets have also been added to the take home collection.

The only things left on my personal list are pearls, jade, and a qipao.

We have plans to take care of all three this weekend, so we'll be all set, and can devote our last weeks in Beijing to enjoying ourselves, and not frantically searching for those last items to take home.

We're leaving a few things behind. Well, more than a few. There are some things that are too big, and others that are too heavy for the temperate climes of Houston. Some shoes that were worn out, and a few cardigans that are way past their prime.

All in all we're ready to be back home. The closer it gets the farther it feels, somehow.

Why is that?

Somehow saying "it's just a month and a half" sounded so much better than "in three weeks we'll be home". But that's it, just three weeks and we'll be flying over the pacific.

So, in honor of the theme that's been growing here, here's a list of things I won't miss about Beijing (Super Husband's list is different, so he can update y'all on that, if he decides to):

n  Packing, like a sardine, into two forms of public transit, at least twice daily for my commute. – I’ve taken pictures of the lovely sardine cans that pass as subway cars at rush hour here, but it doesn’t do it justice. There’s a smell, especially now that it’s summer, of people being pressed together in a way that would normally require some sort of relationship, or at least a knowledge of the other persons’ name, or accent, or something. And old sausage. I don’t know why, but line 13 smells like old sausage.

n  Human Feces in the Street – Yup, this is a thing. A thing I’ll never miss. Stepped in dog poop? Are you sure it’s dog? No! You’re not. You can’t be. Because grown people pop a squat, pull down their pants, and poop in the street.

n  Vomit. – Honestly, I never thought I'd write something like that, but there is an obscene amount of vomit just... Everywhere here. I'm pretty sure I can count the number of times I haven't made it to some sort of receptacle on one hand. And I'm including the two inebriated debacles in this list. People here just vomit in the street and on the sidewalk with absolutely no regard to the fact that people will be walking there in the immediate future. And it's not just "oh, I saw this one guy vom on the sidewalk one day"... It's ALL THE FLIPPING TIME. It's gross.

n  Not having toilet paper in the individual stalls. – Here, in most places, the toilet paper is outside the stalls, and you get yours before you go into the stall. This is annoying, and weird, and I don't like it.

n  Pollution – maybe I should put this at the top of the list... No, vomit definitely trumps it. I thought I came from a polluted place, and that Jakarta was polluted, but it's nothing like Beijing. Beijing takes the cake. And then makes it dark, disgusting grey with coal smoke, exhaust, and whatever else we breathe in on a daily basis.

n  Lack of A/C – This may make us sound a little spoiled, but it’s hot here right now, and it would be nice to sit down at a restaurant and not continue to sweat. Or get on the subway and not have it feel like you’re going to run out of oxygen before you get to the next stop. Super Husband is lucky because the school he’s teaching at right now keeps their classroom at 23c, but because the nurse at AH is … (stupid is the nicest word I can think of) I’m not allowed to use my air conditioner anymore.

That about sums it up. I’m sure there are more things that I wont miss, but these are the big six.

Super Husband says that these are too negative, but rest assured, this list will be followed closely (in the next three days) by a list of things we will definitely miss. Yunan food is among them. 

Nine Needles in My Head, 13 in His Back

This morning Super Husband and I walked the two kilometers from our apartment to the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine to meet two friends who study there, and have them guide us in our acupuncture adventure.

I've wanted to try acupuncture since before we moved to Beijing, but web searches and asking around yielded almost no results. I had been told at one point that because I'm western I needed to go to a different place, not where Chinese people would go. Of course, that's an incredibly annoying answer to get from someone. Why? Because I need to pay more? Because they'll do something differently? That's not what I wanted. I wanted the Chinese experience. The full on TCM (traditional Chinese medicine).

Today we got it.

We met our friends at the entrance to the university and followed them around the corner to a small hospital type building where we registered for our treatments and went down a corridor to the treatment areas. I was told to sit down and put my right wrist on the table, then the left. The doctor asked my friend a series of questions, "what is the problem?" "headaches with nausea, wakes up a lot at night" "does she hold her head like this a lot?" "well, she's a teacher".
He poked at my neck and upper back for a moment, and then prescribed an upper back massage followed by acupuncture treatment.
The massage was... nice? Mostly it was painful, but I could tell that they were really working out knots that had been tightening since my last massage in Houston, over a year ago.

While I was getting my massage Super Husband was repeating the process. He told the doctor about his lower back pain, and was prescribed two massages and acupuncture for his "uneven spine".
I don't think they're telling us he has scoliosis.
After my massage I was told to lie on the bed on my back, and the doctor proceeded to put nine needles in my face and head. One at the top of my head, five at my hairline, one between my eyebrows, and two in my neck, near my lymph nodes. I also received four needles in each hand, and three in each foot.
I lay there, dozing and relaxing for somewhere between twenty and thirty minutes, listening to the sounds of the patient next to me receiving her treatment of cupping. After the needles were removed I felt completely relaxed. Super Husband put it nicely a few moments ago, saying that after his treatment he felt as if he'd slept for 24 hours. I arrived in the other treatment room in time to watch some of Super Husband's second massage, and the insertion of his needles. He lay on his stomach, and received two at the base of his hairline, 13 down his back, making him resemble a stegosaurus, and one in each ankle. I read while he lay there dozing for his twenty minutes.
We wont know the true results of the treatment until tomorrow or the next day, since mine at least was in part for sleeping issues, but it is definitely something I'll go back for before we leave. And I'd like to find a place to go in Houston, as well.
I wouldn't define it as a "miracle treatment", but that feeling of pervasive relaxation was hard to beat.

I do need to say, for those who may be reading this and deciding to go to this same hospital, it's not for the feint of heart, or the new to Asia.
The was moxibustion, which made the fact that the doctors were all smoking less obvious, but no less noxious. The walls look dirty, and while the needles are sterile, the used ones don't go into a "sharps" container, as we would see it in the west, but are collected into a bucket in each room to be thrown out.
We were certainly the only westerners receiving treatment while we were there, and while no one seemed shocked to see us, it isn't the kind of place that tourists would flock to.

But we're happy with our truly Chinese experience with TCM, and that's what matters.

Speaking of lists...

Now that Super Husband and I are officially moving back to where the stars at night are big and bright we've been thinking more and more about returning to Beijing, or China at the very least.

Eventually. 

And one thing that has crossed our minds is what kind of apartment we will want. Now that we've lived in a sixth floor walk up for the better part of a year I can safely say that an elevator is on that list. Especially if we're returning with a Super Baby (It's in the five year plan, but not necessarily in the immediate future). 

So here's the list:

1. Elevator -- If we only live on the fourth or fifth, or even sixth floor we'll probably take the stairs most of the time, but it's nice to have the option of not hauling yourself, your groceries, or your suitcases up 99 stairs. 
2. A bathroom bigger than a postage stamp -- Now, this isn't a hard and fast requirement for me, or Super Husband, but wouldn't it be great to not have to worry about your shower flooding your entire bathroom, since they're one and the same? Or have conditioner constantly in your sink? In a perfect world we could even have a tub. It's not unheard of here. 
3. A courtyard, or some semblance of a community -- Right now to get to the front door of our apartment you have to navigate through some parked cars, after walking for a while down an alley. Which is fine. But it would be nice to have a small courtyard, or communal space where you can sit and have a coffee. And not feel like you live down an alley, frankly. 
4. A grocery store -- This is perhaps my top requirement after an elevator. We have two small shops around the corner here, but neither of them have things that I would consider basic staples, like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, milk, or yogurt. They more closely resemble what my mom calls a stoop 'n' snatch it. They have oreos, salt, haw candy, and sodas. I'd like picking up some milk and cheese not the be an hour long ordeal that requires prior planning. Now, this could perhaps be overlooked if my or Super Husbands place of work were to be extremely close to a good store. Then it'd just be a matter of stopping off on the way home. 
5. A decent kitchen -- These are hard to come by here, but like the bathroom it would be nice to have something larger than a stamp. I'm not asking for a dishwasher, or even a proper oven (please, oh please could I have a proper oven?), I just want to be able to move around... you know, not hit my head on the gas meter if I take a single step back from the stove. Yes, that did happen this morning.
6. Close to a subway stop -- I'm pretty spoiled for location at my current apartment. A seven minute walk takes you to the intersection of two major lines. I can get basically anywhere in the city with minimal transfers. I really, really don't want to live much farther than that from a subway stop. I know people that take the bus to the subway, or bike to it, and it just adds so much hassle to their day. So, call me spoiled, but it goes on the list. 
7. A decent couch -- I didn't realize how important this would be to the comfort of life, but it is. Right now we have a crappy futon, that's a little bit broken. And we don't use it. At All. Well, except for when I tutor, then I sit on it and the kids sit on the floor usually. But it has mostly been relegated to "place we set the bags after shopping" and in the winter "place to put the coats if there are already too many on the coat rack". I want a nice couch. Something worthy of a nap, or curling up on and reading a good book. 

Less Important Things: Things that aren't make or break, but would be oh so nice to have. 

1. AC in the living room -- It's July now, and daytime temperatures haven't dropped below 85f (27c) in a few weeks. We're spending way too much money on the AC in our bedroom, but it's worth it not to wake up feeling like you just took a dip in a pond. And so, with the requirement about having a good couch, we'll need an AC unit in the living room to go with it. Because what good is a good couch if all you'll do is sweat buckets while your sitting on it? Of course, fans can be purchased and plugged in, so this could work, too. 
2. A decent TV -- I don't watch TV in China, Super Husband does, but only rarely. I do, however, watch movies, and it would be nice to be able to do that on something other than a laptop. 
3. Good storage space -- Our apartment now has plenty of storage, and I love it. A large ikea dresser/closet unit in the bedroom, a bookshelf in the living room, plus a nightstand, a desk, an "entertainment unit" under the TV, and a built in unit by the door. We've never not had enough room here. 
4. Good laundry porch -- Right now we have a great porch area where our washing machine is, and where we hang all our clothes to dry. It has screens on the windows, and it just the right size for all our clothes hanging needs. Of course, it would be nice to have an even bigger porch, where we could put chairs out on nice days, but I'm pretty sure that's asking too much of a Beijing apartment. 
5. Close to work -- Now, this would be great no matter what city you live in, right? I absolutely loved biking to and from work every day. It was both invigorating and relaxing. What more do you want? But baring that, it would be nice not to have to endure a 45 minute commute smashed up against other passengers, some of whom have yet to be introduced to deodorant... or personal hygiene of any kind. 
6. Good Feng Shui -- When in Rome, they say. Even before moving to the 'jing I was a believer in the powers of feng shui. Now, don't misunderstand. I am by no means saying that it is a magical heal all in your life, but it just makes sense. Get rid of clutter - duh. Beautify your space - duh again. But I do also feel like the "flow of energy" is important. Our apartment now has great feng shui (except that our front door leads to a somewhat dark hallway) and it makes it easier to be happy here. Good light. Good air flow. Good energy flow. Plus, our bed even faces the right direction for my personal pa'kua readings (east, if you were wondering).  

As of right now I'm pretty sure that sums it up. Who knows what we'll be able to find in three to five years when we're talking about moving back here. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a place that meets all of our criteria. Or maybe we'll have to spend weeks hunting for a place that meets only some of them. 

Of course, we know from personal experience, and from others who have been searching, that realtors here wont show you a good apartment at first. They'll show you six crappy places that are over your budget until you get really, really frustrated and finally, after some hair pulling and some threats to go to another agency, then they'll show you the place you've been looking for. 

And then you have to pay them. 

Ahem, *ding ding ding* ahem ahem

Super Husband and I have an announcement to make. 

We are coming home, returning to the Lone Star State, to the hot outdoors and air conditioned indoors of Houston. 

While some days it feels like just yesterday we were sitting at IAH waiting for our delayed flight to take off, it also feels like it's time. 

By the time we return home it will have been exactly 345 days since our departure from the world's most air conditioned city. 345 days since Bluebell ice cream, or good Mexican food, or good Italian food... Since driving a car, since being in a place where I understood everything that was being said to, or around me. 

So now I'm making lists. 

Lists of things to buy for ourselves before we leave.

Lists of gifts to take back to our nearest and dearest.

Lists of things we'll miss.

Lists of things we won't.

And lists of things to do, see, and eat when we get home. 

Taco truck tacos are currently at the top of the running for First Meal, El Alazan, to be exact. Bluebell, is of course up there. Demeris bbq's french fries, Hobbit Cafe's... Everything. 

Hot wing sauce, vegetarian food, cooking in a well equipped kitchen, real grocery stores... S'mores. 

I told my mom when she was here that I'll actually have to start running when we get home or I'll gain weight from eating all the things we've missed. Because of course I don't miss vegetables. We have those here. It's the splurge foods, the celebration foods that you crave. 

Real cheese. Oh, how I've missed feta! And mozzarella! 

And picnics in the park, and grilling, and gumbo, and mustard, and black beans, and corn tortillas, flautas, and the occasional Dr. Pepper. 

And porches. For some reason I really miss porches. 

Okay, so enough about all that. Let's talk about this past week. 

Hmm... Oh yeah!

We won first at pub quiz, yet again! And because it was also Super Husband's last day of school in Beijing (that's right, he finished his last final a week ago, and has a certificate to prove it) we celebrated afterwards at Pyro and danced (he didn't dance) to the DJ stylings of the very talented Mr. Rogers. Twist and Shout was played. A good time was had by all. 

I feel like I'm forgetting something, but as far as I can remember the next out of the ordinary occurrence was our trek through the Summer Palace. That place is HUGE. I don't think we even covered a quarter of it in the three hours we walked around. We did choose a good day to go, though. It wasn't swelteringly hot because of the cloud cover, although that did impede our photo taking somewhat. I would say that it's worth a visit if you have time, but it isn't on my Must See in Beijing list. In fact, it's a relatively new build, having been originally built in the early 1700s, then rebuilt after the Opium Wars in the late 1800s. Architecturally it's fairly run of the mill, but what is interesting it the sheer size. I work next door and I had no idea. 

After swinging by the market to pick up a gift for Super Husband's teacher, and a shirt for himself, we had dinner and headed to Liudaoko for KTV. 

Neither Super Husband nor I had previously participated in this Asian phenomenon, but it was definitely a good time. They didn't have Tiny Dancer, but Bohemian Rhapsody was belted out at the top of everyone's lungs. We didn't even make it home until 5am. Needless to say Sunday held very little excitement. 

I did make couscous and pecan chicken. Not the pecan chicken I grew up with, but a tasty facsimile. 

Monday was a Monday, although it felt like. Wednesday. 

I met my friend Kate for dinner at Bleu Marine so that I could try their Danish offerings. Kate is the perfect guide for this because, well, she's Danish. We then walked through a light rain to a mall where we got lost twice while trying to find Cold Stone Creamery. Maps in malls here have no rhyme or reason, and in the end it was even labeled incorrectly. Cold stones not in SB 218. 

After dinner we took the subway back to our respective stops. By the time I reached my stop it was pouring outside. I don't know that I've ever even seen it rain that hard here before. And I walked through it. 

Let me just add in a word to the wise here, leather purses from the pearl market are not 100% water proof. Maybe closer to 97%. Wich is an improvement from no percent, of course, but I did spend much of Tuesday with a fan in front of my bag to completely dry out the interior. 

Yesterday was Wednesday, when I began writing this, I thought I would be able to post it via the VPN built into the wireless at Lush before quiz, but alas and alack, for whatever reason my devices refused to log into the wireless. 

Poo diddly. 

So now I have to report on Wednesday, as well. 

The morning started out fine. It's been a long week; it feels like it should have been the weekend eons ago. In the afternoon yesterday the "N" level teachers had our weekly level meeting(okay, it's supposed to be weekly, but we don't aaalways do it every week). Well, I'll not go into details on such a public forum, but it ended badly, with three out of five of us leaving the room feeling unjustly attacked, and not even by anyone with any authority. A brand new teacher, actually. I'm just glad that my time here is coming to an end if that is going to be the environment from now on. 

And now it's Thursday. Fourth of July. The only thing that makes it special, or different from any other day is that we're allowed to wear shorts. 

Wooooohoo. 

Of course, I am wearing blue shorts, a red shirt, and a red and white scarf in my hair. And my students are learning about how we celebrate Independence Day in the U. S. A.

Parades, fireworks, swimming, hotdogs... That sort of thing.