Wandering Waiguoren

Other miscellaneous happenings

2012-02-17T19:21:00.000Z

Alright, I think after this post I shall be all caught up to the present. It is hard to believe that 6 months has flown by...meaning that I am more than halfway through my Master's course and time in London. When this term ends in 5 weeks' time, I will be completely done with taught coursework as a postgrad; term three for UK students is about 'revising' (= studying/reviewing) for cumulative exams to take place in April and May. I am wrapping up reading week and have really enjoyed the quiet and time to research, write, and read for all of my courses. Oh and catching up on blog posts to keep everyone here and at home in the loop is always important too.

So what has been keeping me so busy, you may wonder. I flip back through my diary and the days just become collective blurs. I have been trying to jot quick notes to myself when something important/interesting happens - but, alas, there are only so many hours in the day. If anything, I feel as though I have been doing a better job of blending 'work' with 'play' this term. That's not to say that I am overlooking 'work' to go out and 'play' - as previous blog posts may (or may not?) lead you to think - but rather that I am just getting even better at managing the 18 or so waking hours I have each day. This term I have been particularly on my toes and jumping around to various London boroughs for presentations at Rotary clubs. I have given six presentations to date and have at least another eight scheduled between now and late April. Some weeks I have two presentations, other weeks none and obviously Easter break factors into my schedule as well. One way or another it has been quite insightful to travel to the ends of public transportation lines (in some cases) to meet with Rotarians and experience the dynamics of different clubs.

I also had a particularly noteworthy Groundhog's Day here in London with a family friend based in South Kensington. Apparently he has this tradition of baking 9 sorts of desserts each year on 2 February to share with family and friends; 4 desserts are always the same and 5 are new each year. There is an official log of desserts as well as prizes to those with the best attendance at his annual event, as Groundhog's Day desserts has been happening for 31 years! Dessert substituted dinner that night and I left having inherited the honor of carrying on our family friend's tradition once it hits its 40th anniversary. That gives me 9 years to start working on my dessert-baking skills -- feel free to submit your recipes to my inbox!

My love for the local theater scene continues as the BAFTAs were held just a few tube stops away recently...and the music awards are coming up on Tuesday. I try and limit myself to more low-key events, but ones that are equally impressive. With the aforementioned family friend I went to the opening night of "Tales of Hoffmann" by the English National Opera. It is a neat story of an artist/poet who, when his muse comes to him late one drunken evening, he embarks upon re-telling stories of the three loves of his life. Each act of the opera focused on a different lover - so you had a lifesize doll, a singer, and a call girl as key female protagonists. What made the ENO version of "Hoffmann" so unique was that each protagonist was played by one and the same soprano rather than by three as is typically done. It was a really long opera (3h30min) and I was really grateful for the coffee that was offered at 10pm with two acts remaining! I got to tag along to a meet-and-greet in the Coliseum's American Bar afterwards - turns out the lead soprano is also American and this was her first debut on any London stage. Definitely a gem that the casting staff discovered in their search to find someone for the lead lady! This week, being reading week and all, I also upheld last term's tradition of seeing another musical on Wednesday night. I chose to go see "Singin' in the Rain" on Press Night and was definitely not disappointed. The musical did a great job of adapting the original MGM film - many members of the audience were tapping/dancing away in their seats through the familiar 'Good Morning' and 'Singin' in the Rain' pieces. The stage was set up such that it actually did rain and the water accumulated -- those in about the first 5 rows looked to be getting splashed from where I sat. As my ticket warned about steep heights (on the 2nd of 4 balconies), hopefully those that could afford seats up front and center were warned about possible water damage to their theater attire.

Courses have all been going quite smoothly and I have been trying to keep the positive momentum going with Reading Week (no lectures) this week. Papers will start to be due and research will continue to happen as I head into the final weeks - the sprint to the finish - of the term. We have already had a full weekend of mediation training and in coming weeks I will be sacrificing two more weekends to learn negotiation skills and participate in a "crisis game." I haven't really a clue what to expect from either -- so do stay tuned for updates as things happen. My coursemates were in Geneva this week for one of two CISD-led trips to the city; I will be going in June and really did appreciate having this week to study and relax without all of them around.

This week we had a dinner for Ambassadorial/Global Scholars hosted by the Rotary Club of Radlett. I will be speaking at their club sometime in the near future... but a picture from our event should suffice for the time being.

The Group -- with District Governor and Radlett RC President, too

I trust everyone is well and weather is beginning to warm up wherever you may be! Sorry to flood everyone with updates, but I do think this brings my blog relatively up to speed.

Chinese New Year - London Style

2012-02-17T17:39:00.002Z

This year marked something a bit different for me in the fact that I was not in Taiwan to ring in the year of the dragon with my host families and other friends. That being said, however, I would have to say that amidst all the studies and ins and outs of daily life, I still seized every opportunity to celebrate the new year with coursemates, host families (via Skype), and my parents (still in China!). The only thing I missed doing - particularly since I was born in the year of the dragon - was going to the temple and throwing an obnoxious amount of paper money into firey pits for the gods. I think it will be a good year without having practiced this tradition. ;)

Sunday (22 January) afternoon was New Year's Eve for everyone in greater China. I spent my day studying (nothing out of the ordinary) but did tune in to CCTV's annual Spring Festival celebration in the background. Nothing really particularly special went down on the television special besides the usual types of skits, patriotic songs, and cheese-y performances. In the evening, I returned home to wrap and cook dumplings with around a dozen of my coursemates and friends. It was our own "family reunion" meal of sorts (tradition on New Year's eve) and we ate 120 dumplings amongst the group. It was all delicious until someone decided to slip me a dumpling filled 100% with garlic. Nearly one month later and I have yet to consume anything with garlic in it...

Part of the group --- before the feasting began

A week later (Sunday 29 January), just as official CNY celebrations were beginning to draw to a close in Greater China, I ventured out on a Sunday afternoon towards Chinatown to see what celebrations awaited. It was a bit like China in the sense that I felt as though I was entering a parallel universe of 1.3 billion people squeezing into the narrow streets and alleys of Chinatown. There were large amounts of food up for sale, dragons dancing in the street from one shop to the next, and closing ceremonies in Trafalgar Square. Because I had been studying (a reoccurring theme...) I missed the earlier performances in the Square and speeches by both Mayor Boris (and his Trump-style hairdo) and the Chinese Ambassador to London. C'est la vie; I was still able to cram into Trafalgar for the closing ceremonies and brief fireworks display. Leaving at the end was the worst as everyone was trying to push towards Leicester Square tube station, making the mass exodus borderline human stampede. My 'out' was to walk home, only about 30 minutes in the cold wasn't so bad knowing that hot food would warm me right back up again.

Streets of Chinatown amidst celebrations

Just a few people in Trafalgar...

All things considered, it was a good Chinese New Year for me. I had lots of good food (half of what the holiday is about) and got to Skype all those family and friends to spread the good holiday cheer. Maybe next year I'll be back in Taiwan to continue the tradition of celebrating in country?! It is still far too early to say!

新年快乐/Xin Nian Kuai Le/Happy New Year! :)

UN Celebrations and War Rooms

2012-02-17T17:07:00.003Z

Looking back at the week of 16 January, it was actually quite fitting that I attended a seminar honoring the 70th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter and went to Churchill's War Rooms in the same week. It was essentially mixing bits of war and peace amidst studies, workshops, seminars, and continued Rotary presentations.

My course department (CISD) has been planning this event for the 70th anniversary of the UN Charter for a year or two now; I arrived at SOAS/CISD in time just to be involved in the final preparation steps. It was a really interesting event, and it definitely did parallel a lot of my coursework, however I can't say that I agree with the ideas of the speakers. The panelists took a very paternalistic view of the UN, arguing that there is a need to return to the pre-World War model and reinvigorate the UN with a lot of the global liberal norms that it has since lost. I personally think that the UN has evolved to meet the needs and challenges of the world as we know it...but that is just my opinion on that! As for the event itself, it was held at the Lancaster House and co-sponsored by the Foreign Commonwealth Office - names and places that gave the event a degree of prestige! Lancaster House was the most lovely venue; for those of you that watch BBC's "Sherlock" or saw the King's Speech (or many other big Hollywood-type films), you would instantly recognize some of the rooms at Lancaster from the big screen.

Entry foyer at Lancaster House

At the end of another week, amidst all the studying that always continues to happen, I took time off on Saturday afternoon to visit the Churchill War Rooms with several of my classmates. In 1940, right after Churchill became PM he stood in these rooms and declared 'This is the room from which I will direct the war.' So it is definitely an important (and frequently overlooked) London attraction. We took a bit of a scenic detour in finding the War Rooms, initially walking across the Thames to the Imperial War Museum (also a definite must-see!) and then back in a very nice (and long) loop. Unlike other museums in London, the War Rooms do have a nice 12GBP price tag attached to them...and that is with the concessions for students, too. I will admit that it was not only completely worth the money but also something I would willingly pay to see again! At the end of the War, the rooms were closed up and essentially left until the museum started operating.


Where it all began -- and all the meetings happened.

In addition to touring the various rooms where Churchill and others strategized and communicated with allies, exhibits were scattered with stories of those that not only worked but also lived in the War Rooms. They slept in these underground tunnels not more than 4ft tall -- and rats and the like would be crawling through at night time, so it was fortunate for those in the War Rooms that the bunks were elevated! There was also a great museum in the facility tracing the life of Churchill both in and out of office.Quite the stubborn and determined politician, to say the very least, with an accent that many (myself included) struggle to stomach.

My absolute favorite room of the whole venue was the Map Room. As the informational hub of the entire facility, everything has remained exactly as it was when the lights were switched off at the end of war in 1945. From color-coded telephone lines to books/documents and even rationed sugar cubes hidden away in desk drawers, it is just an amazing room. And then you throw in the fact that all four walls are covered with wartime maps, dotted with pinholes marking progress of the Allies across land and water and it really just brings history to life.

Map Room

I am feeling extremely productive and like I stand a chance at catching up on blog updates. More to come by the end of Friday (GMT time)!

Docklands

2012-02-04T22:30:00.002Z

Alongside a cup of tea, a few oat biscuits and onlinere-reruns of the “Skating with Stars” reality show, I am briefly updating aftera full day of mediation training for my course. The fun continues tomorrow withanother 9-5 day of training and role-playing. It is lots of fun – and obviouslywe are learning a lot too – so no complaints from me.

Now to picking up where I left off! After a full first weekback in London and at SOAS, I needed something to clear my head a bit comeSaturday (14 January). Something that I have always turned to – my outlet andcomfort zone of sorts – has been the ice rink. I googled a bit and looked tosee what outdoor rinks were still open and planned my Saturday morning aroundice time. I ultimately picked the ice rink in Canary Wharf. The West IndiaDocks, where CW is located once formed part of the busiest port in the world…until the docks were closed in 1980 and the British government adopted policiesto redevelop the area. Today, as one of London’s two main financial centers,Canary Wharf is home to many big-name banks, professional service firms andmedia organizations. The ice rink was located in a square, nestled up alongsideBank of America, KPMG, Barclays and Thomson Reuters. I opted to go for theearliest session possible (to avoid some of the people!) and was on the icejust after 9am. My strategy was probably the best option; as there were onlyfamilies on the ice it was easy to speed up and do my own thing. Or as much ofmy ‘own thing’ as could be done in cheap blue plastic rental skates. Definitelynot my custom-fit skates and blades from home!

A zamboni sweep of the ice would have been good...

At home I don’t have the chance to skate outside much and Iactually really enjoyed it. Temperatures dipped enough that it was quitesuitable to be skating outside. It also meant that the nearby ice sculpturefestival wasn’t suffering from melting problems. I left the ice an hour laterhappy and refreshed but cold enough that coffee and a second breakfast becomemy next objective. Without much to do besides read, I opted to wander aroundthe Docklands/Canary Wharf area a bit. It was actually quite a nice area toexplore – definitely some place that would be quite comfortable to live in aswell. There is quick access to central London via the Docklands Light Rail (un-mannedtrains) and it is both quiet and ideally located on the Thames. A trail runsalongside the Thames essentially into town, too, so there were lots of runnersand cyclists…and even groups rowing in the river!

Pairs skaters in ice!

By the time I got back to my flat, I arrived just in time tocatch the winning remarks from the Taiwanese election. Since my year as anexchange student on the island, I have very much continued to hold the island(and its happenings) close to my heart. The rest of the weekend, with theexception of an Indian dinner out with coursemates, was spent reading andtrying to start the term ahead in courses rather than merely just ‘on top’ ofthe readings.

View from the Thames River Path looking back towards central London

Snow has hit London tonight and it is quite clear howunprepared they are for this kind of weather. Sidewalks (“pavement” in BritishEnglish) are definitely not plowed, most don’t even have sand or gravel oranything to create a bit of traction underneath the feet of passerby. As Iwrite (just after 10pm) everything outside is nicely covered in a layer ofwhite and the snow continues to fall. I really enjoyed frolicking in the snowen route home from the tube/grocery but I definitely don’t expect it to lastfor long. Now that there was/is snow, however, it finally feels like winter!

Touring Parliament

2012-01-31T10:48:00.001Z

The game of catching up continues! Way back on 10 January, I headed down to Westminster for a tour of the Palace of Westminster. Arranged through my host Rotary club and one of their honorary members (who just so happens to be a Member of Parliament!), foreign visitors are not usually allowed into the Houses of Parliament for tours until the summer time. Non-UK visitors can, however, at any time of the year attend committee sessions and debates in the House of Lords or House of Commons. Perhaps when I get a bit more down time I will go back and listen in to the discussions.

I happened to be touring on the first day of session for both Houses after the Christmas holiday - so both buildings were brimming with people and the media. We began our tour in the Westminster Hall, dating to 1087 and essentially the only part of the whole complex that has survived fires and war alike. It is definitely really neat architecturally, but it sure doesn't offer the insulation and warmth of other parts of the palace. I would characterize Westminster Hall as a multi-purpose room. It was primarily used for judicial purposes, once housing the Court of King's Bench, the Court of Common Please and the Court of Chancery. Several important trials have also been held in Westminster Hall - state trials of King Charles I, Thomas More and Guy Fawkes among others. Perhaps more recently, the Hall has hosted ceremonial events be it state funerals or addresses from foreign dignitaries. If foreign leaders are allowed to present an address in the Hall, it is considered to be quite the privilege...and puts you alongside Nelson Mandela, Pope Benedict XVI, Obama and the like!

From Westminster Hall, we walked through all the Houses and side-rooms, essentially beginning our tour at the back of the complex and moving forward. We stopped at the Norman Porch - gated for us normal folk, but unlocked and adorned with plush carpets for when the sovereign (Queen) opens Parliament each year. Our tour route, then, followed the tracks of the Queen herself...with a few exceptions as you will soon see! At the southern end of the complex, we then moved into the Queen's Robing Room. As the name suggests, this is the room set aside specifically for the queen to use in putting on her robe and crown before moving in to open (and address) Parliament. She apparently does the whole process herself, since she is obviously quite used to placing a crown on her head after all these years; the mirror in one corner has been adjusted just to her height, too.

Queen's Robing Room

En route to both of the Houses, we had to first pass through the Royal Gallery, one of the largest rooms in the complex. The paintings lining the room are these huge images of important moments in British history - so things like the death of Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar and the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo. There are a few tables lining the room, on top lies stationary with the Palace's seal (and return address, of course!). Apparently MPs can use the room to write letters to constituents; I personally would feel just a bit too intimidated by the historical paintings in the room to stay in there for too long!

Continuing on to the heart of all the happenings - the House of Lords and House of Commons. Both, I must admit, were just as cozy as they appear in The Economist or on BBC. The House of Lords is much more lavishly decorated than the Commons. At one end is the gold canopy and throne for the Sovereign to sit in during the opening of the Houses of Parliament. Each year she will deliver her speech, essentially outlining the government's program for the year and a legislative agenda for the forthcoming parliamentary session. What happens in the House of Lords in some sense stays in the room, as the Queen not only does not enter the Commons, but those in the Commons are also not allowed into the Lords' debating floor during her address.

A very empty House of Lords

En route to the House of Commons, we passed through three lobbies. My personal favorite was the more ornate central lobby (or the aptly-named Octagon Hall). Once described as the 'political center of the British Empire' by an English constitutional theorist, the central lobby forms the cross road between the two houses, the library, and visitors' entrance. On the first day back after holiday it was definitely a hopping place! Often when there are camera crews from inside the Palace of Westminster, they will film from one particular apex of the Octagon Hall...just an fyi :) One other lobby before the House of Commons, the Members' Lobby, had a doorway flanked by statues of Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. The archway just beyond the statues was the only part of the room remaining after heavy bombing in the 1940s; it was left untouched and the rest of the room was obviously rebuilt, albeit in a much simpler style than other rooms in the Palace.

Our last stop, then, was the House of Commons. With a much livelier reputation when it comes to debates and discussions, the House of Commons seemed no bigger than its counterpart on the other side of the central lobby. Seating is in high demand as only 427 of ~650 MPs can squeeze into the Commons; so during the Prime Minister's Questions or important debates etc., the latecomers will line the walls and doorways, standing just to be sure they are included! Decorum is very much a part of the happenings in the Commons, and while I have yet to attend an actual debate, there are lines on the carpet that MPs are not allowed to overstep when standing to address the group.

I hope you have enjoyed going on a whirlwind tour of Parliament with me. Courses remain quite busy, paper topics are in great abundance, and I continue to jump around to various London boroughs for Rotary presentations. Oh and it is finally starting to feel like winter with temperatures dipping below freezing for an entire week!

Rotary -- and some reflecting

2012-01-25T23:06:00.003Z

The fact that my last update was 12+ days ago is a bit...shameful at best. Much remains to say about touring the Houses of Parliament, exploring Canary Wharf area, ice skating, a conference with the Foreign Commonwealth Office, seeing the Cabinet War Rooms, and ringing in the Chinese New Year amongst coursemates. It would appear that I have my work cut out for me in blog updates on Friday or over the weekend as study breaks!

Most recently I have begun a circuit of presentations to local Rotary clubs. While such presentations are a component of the whole Ambassadorial Scholar package, I absolutely love going from club to club and seeing the different groups. They all function differently - some quite informal, others very structured and operating within a strict frame of decorum. My experience at the Edgware/Stanmore RC today was inspiring such that I am post-poning much-needed sleep and readings on guerrilla warfare to share the day with all of you readers.

My presentation is essentially the same for each Rotary club. There are tweaks depending on the audience, and sometimes my stories or comments change along the way. Like today I made an unintentional comment relating to a past US president in using the phrase "beat around the bush" -- I didn't even notice until everyone started to chuckle! Its also funny how I have been here long enough that words like 'process' and 'route' roll off my tongue in a very un-American way. We definitely don't say "prooooocess" or "rooooute" like the English do ;) Its all part of the experience! But it is late and I digress. My presentation is divided up between sharing my own background and talking about Chinese culture. The latter is a bit of an intimidating topic, as there is so much of it, so I chose to hone in upon three aspects of the culture that really shape how Chinese interact with one another and with the rest of the world. The motive behind such a focus is really to shed some light upon cross-cultural communication and understanding; the concepts that shape how Chinese communicate are not necessarily Chinese-specific and do appear in other cultures/contexts, but we often just aren't aware of the existence of the differences is all.

Presentation after presentation, the Rotarians thank me for sharing something tangible and use-able with them. Something that they will remember because it was presented clearly and thoroughly, something that will strengthen their interactions with Chinese. Today compliments went to all new levels (and I definitely turned bright red) after the President commented that I gave the best presentation of any ambassadorial scholar ever to visit Edwgare/Stanmore in the past 15 years. But all of this is more than just how well my presentation went off, or the extent to which Rotarians 'got something' from my discussion. Arguably, what inspired me most today was not the kind of compliments from Rotarians on my presentation and choice of topics, but rather the degree of engagement and desire for learning that most clearly permeated the room. Yes, its something I probably see on a day in, day out basis at SOAS; but for a group of professionals and retirees alike to be so interested in continuing to learn through the eyes of a different generation was a good reminder about the importance of perspective. It wasn't so much a presentation today as it was a dialogue. As soon as I opened up and shared a bit of my own story, the Rotarians at Edgware/Stanmore RC opened up and shared their insights and perspectives with me. And best of all, it was fun.

The moral of the story, as the club president in her Northern Irish accent reminded me: you learn something new every day. (Which just so happens to be something my dad says a lot, too!)

I am always reminded just how grateful I am for Rotary after days like today. Things would be completely different if I hadn't taken a gap year in Taiwan as a Rotary Youth Exchange student. Perhaps even more so had the scholarship not re-routed my postgraduate plans and brought me to London.

Lots of long days here - so, for now, as my favorite childhood story puts it, goodnight moon!
(More to come. I promise!)

Bath daytrip

2012-01-18T21:57:00.001Z

Hieveryone,

So it wouldappear that the whole new year's resolution I mentally made of being more on top of blogupdates has long since gone out the window. They do say that 90% of our resolutions end up becoming rubbish anyways...so I guess I'm just a part of the statistic on this one! Kindly bear with me as I play catch-upover the course of the next few posts. A lot has been happening that I do wantto keep everyone up to speed with.

Bath Abbey (opposite the Roman Baths)

Rewind to afew weeks back when I get back to London and first update everyone on mytravels and adventures in China over the holidays. What I did not write on wasmy first full Saturday back. Freshly jet-lagged and all, a weekend withoutpiles of readings meant an opportunity for a day trip out of London. I optedfor the town of Bath in the southwest county of Somerset. Bath provides an easyaccess point to Stonehenge (which I did not make it to this time around) but Idid explore the city quite thoroughly during my day and left feeling quitesatisfied with all that I saw. As one of the oldest tourist destinations in thecountry, Bath is home to three mineral springs that the Romans deemed sacredand linked them to their goddess, Minerva. In the heart and centre of town,nestled right up by the Bath Abbey, are what remains of a 2,000+ year old Romanbathhouse built around one of the mineral springs. The Roman Baths are both anarchitectural and archaeological feat – for the buildings to still exist atpresent is remarkable in and of itself. The mineral springs are still flowing,but the water is a greener hue from algae as there is no longer a roof over thebath as in Roman times. The museum section of the bathhouse is also quiteinteresting as the excavation revealed many artifacts from the Roman times. Therewere cutaways of the floors and walls, so one really could see how the Romansboth built and used the bathhouse. It was definitely like one of those Usbornebooks from my childhood – but in real life!

The Roman Baths in all their glory and splendor

From theRoman Baths, I walked through the main shopping street – all UK cities seem to have them –and to the Fashion Museum. I initially thought that the Fashion Museum wasgoing to be a bit of a gimmick, since it only cost 1GBP extra on top of myadmission to the Roman Baths. It turns out that it was actually quite a niftylittle look at the evolution of fashion. Their feature exhibit was on the evolution of thewedding dress; obviously inspired by last year’s Royal Wedding but includingdresses from the 1800s to present. Perhaps with a few exceptions, contemporarydesigners are truly returning to wedding dresses of the past in some of theirstyles. There were also exhibits of embroidered gloves (for royalty) and shoesand other accessories. It was everything from “Pride and Prejudice” eraclothing to the neon colours of last spring/summer in one very cozy museum building.

Talk about wide hips...

From thefashion museum, I walked up to the Royal Crescent. Any Jamie Cullum fans wouldrecognize the Royal Crescent as the backdrop on one of his more recent albumcovers...but I didn’t make that connection until I turned on my ipod a week orso later! The Royal Crescent is a semi-eliptical crescent of homes dating tothe late 18^th century. There are something like eight crescents inBath – they do exist elsewhere in England I was told, but Bath has the most inthe country. From the lawn in front of the crescent, I had a very nice view ofthe city. All the sunshine and blue skies that particular Saturday weredefinitely welcomed after the grey/hazy/smoggy combination of China!

Royal Crescent in Bath

Jet lagkicked in at one point in the early afternoon and my pace of exploration slowedsignificantly. I attempted to shop (winter sales of 70% off!) but that didn’twork well as I quickly tired of the crowds. The next best alternative was tofind a local coffee shop and curl up with my Kindle and magazines for a bit. Ifound this coffee shop that made each and every cup of coffee in its ownfilter; and the beans came from somewhere equally exotic. A piece of orangesomething-or-another cake and I was good to go for a few hours...until thecoffee shop closed. The problem then became that since I was no longer inLondon, everything (restaurants included) started to close down at 5pm on aSaturday and my train back was at 7pm. So....I moved coffee shops. The baristaat the second coffee shop du jour was very much thrilled to talk to an Americanwhile he wrapped up his day and closed up shop; I learned more about life in atop tourist city and the [complex] rules of rugby while the barista inquired about USpolitics and the upcoming elections. Those kind of conversations are always themost unexpected, but often the most interesting as I think both parties walkedaway with a different perspective.

One final Bath picture...

That does it for my Bath outing, albeit a very condensed look at the day I spent there. More soonto come on other happenings – hope everyone is doing well in the meantime.

Christmas happenings (pt. 2)

2012-01-09T18:38:00.000Z

Water town scenery...

In picking up where the last post left off, I still have the time between Christmas and my return to London to cover. My narrative is based essentially upon the photos I took and have since transferred to my computer - thus any jumping from one day or event to the next.

After our Christmas Day in Shanghai, we returned to Suzhou for essentially what remained of our holiday. We did squeeze in a few more day trips and outings around town. There are a lot of water towns in the Yangtze River area (think Venice-type canal systems that make up entire towns/villages) and we took an afternoon to visit the water town of Mudu. Lots of gardens, few foreigners, and canals...the typical stuff. My brother hadn't previously spent much time in Shanghai, so we also took a trip back into the city to see the Yu Gardens and explore the French Concession area. I am not the biggest fan of Shanghai - except for the fact that it is extremely easy to get anything Western in the city - but it was still fun to explore and see some new things around town with my family. The Yu Gardens have lots of dragons in them; very apropos for the upcoming year of the dragon! One final day trip took me and my brother via train to Nanjing where I studied abroad in 2009. Friends from Oregon were wrapping up their semester of study and it was a good time to pop in and say 'hello' over a hot pot dinner before everyone scattered for the new year holidays and/or moved elsewhere to begin their internships.

Post-Hot Pot ice cream with Oregon classmates in Nanjing

Amidst miscellaneous errands - stocking up on Chinese groceries and trips to the tailor/fabric market - the very tail end of my break in China was spent with a good friend (and roommate) from high school and her fiance. After seeing Beijing, they returned to Suzhou via Shanghai and we showed them around for the better part of their three day stay. Having hosted so many people and acquaintances in Suzhou, my mom has developed a tourist circuit so to speak. She should definitely write it up and sell it for money! The usual circuit changed a bit with the weather getting a bit cold all of a sudden, but we did manage to visit another water town and a few of the must-see landmarks within the old part of Suzhou.

Suzhou reunion with Allison and her fiance

Christmas break came and went all too quickly - but I am so very grateful to have shared three wonderful weeks alongside family. It was difficult to leave, but seeing friends back in London has made the return a bit easier. Classes resumed today, however I don't officially begin until tomorrow. It goes without saying that with or without formal lectures...there are still plenty of readings to keep me occupied!

Christmas happenings

2012-01-08T17:34:00.000Z

Hello everyone! I returned to London on Thursday afternoon and have since been switching back to the right time zone and my previous routine. Courses resume tomorrow (well, technically Tuesday for me) and I am actually really excited for another term. I feel refreshed and mostly over jet lag -- so add in a healthy dose of enthusiasim and I have got all the makings for a strong return to SOAS.
Before I dive back into blog posts about life in the UK, it is worth taking the time to update on my holiday adventures with the family in China. From start to finish, it was a wonderful break for me... perhaps not so much because it was a change of pace and there was no required reading list but rather because I got to spend three lovely weeks with my parents and my brother.

Shortly after arrival, we unpacked and repacked for a family vacation/trip to Hainan Island. Located off the southern coast and deemed the Hawaii of China by some (not sure who!), the warmer temperatures (25C most days) and increased amount of sunshine were quite a nice way to spend the days leading up to Christmas. We stayed in a Holiday Inn Resort about 45 minutes from the southern most city of Sanya, but ventured frequently to other areas nearby to see the local sights. Interesting fact about Hainan/Sanya: the Russians love the place! Our family was mistaken multiple times for being Russian, as Chinese trying to lure us into their shop/restaurant greeted us with Russian. Other times, the menu came in only Chinese and Russian. For the most part, however, we only really saw the Russian in the resort strip and hardly had any interaction with them throughout the duration of our travels elsewhere in the region.

Sanya city

Our first full day on Hainan, we went into Sanya city to explore. Like other Chinese cities, Sanya stlil has a lot of growing pains. There is a desire and push for rapid development, which can be uneven at times and generate side-effects throughout society. Moreover, the government has focused heavily upon building Hainan/Sanya as a tourist destination. Perhaps that is where the Hawaii comparison emerged. Resorts - including the Sheraton, Intercontinental, MGM Grand and the like - have popped up in Yalong Bay area (where we were at); Sanya is also quickly becoming a shopping destination with an abundance of options in Yalong Bay as well as a Duty Free Mall in the city of Sanya itself. I personally wasn't super impressed with the city of Sanya, but it was fun to walk along the beaches and explore the city a bit.

(In)famous rope bridge


Tropical views in one of the rainforests

During our time in Hainan, we tended to do more outdoorsy type activities. While it was too cold for swimming, that did not prevent us from lounging on the beach one afternoon and exploring two nearby rainforests on other days. The first rainforest was the sight of a very popular Chinese movie (非诚勿扰 pt2) - we walked one and the same rope bridge that some famous people walked across in the very cheese-y chick flick. The Chinese take an interesting approach to rainforests with golf carts shuttling people from one trail-head or attraction to the next, but perhaps that is more for safety reasons than anything else. My brother and I quickly discovered just how much fun riding in the back of a golf cart could be, even if seat belts were required! The second rainforest we went to a few days into our stay was located a bit farther from the resort strip. Yanuoda Rainforest was still under construction, believe it or not. The rainforest part that was there was totally natural (minus the paved trails through it) but the visitor's center and other planned attractions (rock climbing? rafting? who knows!) or resorts were still being constructed on one of the hillsides. It was definitely one of those "only in China" moments for me as earth-moving equipment seemed to be superimposed upon a beautiful tropical rainforest.

Traditional Li homes - in the hills, amongst the betel nut trees!


Li grandmother weaving

Another half-day trip we took was to see and learn about the Li ethnic minority group at the Betel Nut Village. For those of you unfamiliar with the betel nut, it grows on trees kind of like a coconut and is harvested and resold for chewing...kind of like tobacco. It is really popular in Taiwan, where pretty girls wear very little clothing and sell betel nuts along highways and on street corners to truck drivers and the like. I would suggest that the betel nut somehow gets spiked between harvesting and retail because they are addictive substances and people in Asia have betel nut problems just like people in the West have smoking issues. However, our tour guide at Betel Nut Village swore that chewing the betel nut is "good for your teeth" and was not fazed when I inquired as to how a substance that stains one's teeth/mouth/throat blood red is good for your teeth. Go figure. The exhibits at the village were quite insightful as they focused upon the lifestyle of the Li ethnic group, who knew that it was the Li group that invented the miniskirt! But I did finish that day feeling a bit like the government had once again succeeded in exploiting another one of the minorities. Because of the need for developing tourist attractions that comes with more of the 1.3bil people having disposable income and a desire to travel, the government likely saw the Li people's land as an opportunity for development. Compliance with the central government's desire to turn the Li area into a tourist attraction meant preserving their land; whereas had the Li said no, they would have still been kicked off their own property. Again, this kind of thing is pretty typical as far as things go in China.

Monkeys can be cute...

Tram ride to Monkey Island

Our last big day trip - and the one farthest from Sanya's resort bubble - took us to Monkey Island. The 90+ minute drive to Monkey Island was an experience in and of itself as we wove through many a small town/village that had clearly yet to feel the impact of the provincial push to become a tourist destination. Not really knowing what we were getting ourselves into, we got tickets and quickly clambered on open-air trams across a bay to the island itself. Alarm bells should have gone off when we saw the infirmary for those injured by monkeys near to the tram exit. Turns out there were 1800+ endangered Macaque roaming the property and we were fortunate enough to be able to walk through their habitat. Some monkeys were cute, but I quickly learned that I have a fear of monkeys after watching one attack a Chinese lady with a tote bag. If they weren't so smart, no one would have anything to fear! It goes without saying that such high-liability attractions would hardly work in the US... and that the best part of a trip to Monkey Island is the tram ride there and back!

We returned to Shanghai on Christmas Eve and stayed in a very posh hotel literally on the Bund. For the sake of brevity, I am going to pause here and save other China stories/pictures for my next update. This post has already ended up longer than anticipated! Look for more soon - hope 2012 is off to a fantastic start for everyone!

Christmas Day with the family :)

End of Term!

2011-12-16T04:07:00.001Z

It is with great joy that I am happy to announce the end of Term #1 at SOAS! This means I survived my first term as a grad student, aka as a human sponge. I've had a bit of time to look back and reflect on how things have gone so far in quieter moments on the tube or on my walks to and from various places...and gosh is there a lot to reflect upon! What follows are just a few key highlights of my grad school experience in London so far:

(1) Grad school is what you make it. They really do want us to read beyond the reading list. Running around town trying to find books in one library or another has become a part of the experience rather than an additional or bothersome process. I am really finding the more that I move away from the basic reading list and into more narrow tangents (or into topics that are more China related!), the more interesting things become.
(2) Social life can be academic. UK schools have bars in them...it is the weirdest phenomenon I have seen in any country. Give students a place with cheap alcohol and they will flock there. While there are plenty of coursemates that spend their free moments at our SOAS bar, cameraderie also comes in the forms of late night and early morning paper-writing sessions in the centre for my course. We find resources and help one another out; and everyone brings such a unique perspective to the program that I continue to learn heaps just in talking to my peers.
(3) I am being 'globalized' just by being here. The power of my experience in London continues to amaze me. A visiting US professor talked about coercive diplomacy on Tuesday night at SOAS, in one of his tangent comments he said: "For those Americans in the audience, you guys are lucky. We were/are the ones to push globalization out and abroad, but just in being here in London and alongside peers from around the world, now you are getting globalized. Don't lose that when you come back home." I think the professor made an important point; there is a tendency to get so caught up within one's own country that it becomes harder to be receptive to other cultures and perspectives. I could go on about how I feel more "globalized" just in all that I am being exposed to here...but hopefully you as readers get the point. :)

For as full of a week as this one has been, it has been extremely smooth and I have squeezed quite a lot into my days (and nights). On Monday, I went out with a coursemate to see a Christmas pops concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played and some Royal choir accompanied; as did the audience for more traditional carols. We had seats that were originally pretty high up, however, upon arrival we were moved down to the ground floor. Not a bad deal, all things considered.

This week also included a Christmas party in our flat. Since I spearheaded Thanksgiving, my other flatmates planned the Christmas festivities, I just bought a pudding for dessert! We did a secret santa gift exchange and stayed up way too late talking. Good thing my essays and readings were all done!

To wrap everything up this week, I went out to Oakwood to join some of my host Rotarians for a night at the Chickenshed Theatre for a performance of "Cinderella." What makes the Chickenshed special is that it is inclusive theater, so people of all abilities are on stage. Princess Diana was once a patron of Chickenshed, and it is quite clear why after seeing such a stellar performance this evening! The script, music, costumes etc. are developed and designed by many of the individuals acting in the play; so there is local flair thrown in amidst all the creativity. It was an adorable rendition of a well-known story and I am grateful I had the chance to go!

Hopefully this blog update has not been too discombobulated. It is 4:03am on my departure day, packing is complete (mostly) and I am just trying to keep time moving forward so I can go out and enjoy an English breakfast before I take off for China. 800,000 people are said to be traveling this weekend, check-in/customs are said to need 3-4 hours (rather than 2) and it would appear that the early morning hours have brought a bit of sleet and wintry mix to the streets of London. I am expecting smooth travels, nonetheless!

It is unlikely that I will update much (if any) from China as google's blog host is inaccessible within the great firewall. That being said, I sincerely hope each and every single one of you will have a most wonderful Christmas holiday with loved ones. I have said it many times, but will say it again, thank you for your support of studies and adventures in London!
Again, happy Christmas and all the best to each of you for 2012! :)

Portobello

2011-12-11T14:33:00.001Z

It is a bit hard to wrap my head around the fact that I am ending my last weekend in London for the year. Time has flown by unbelievably fast -- it goes without saying that I have learned immense amounts in my time here thus far, both at SOAS and in life.

My weekend has been pretty low-key as I have been resting up, finishing up one final term paper, getting prepared for one final week of lectures/seminars and catching up on episodes of CBS's Hawaii Five-0. The weekend began with a departmental seminar on our dissertations, given by our program head. There is definitely a lot to begin considering as far as dissertations go -- deadlines for that will start popping up in February and I will be reading for my dissertation some over the holidays! I will have the summer months to really focus on my research/writing and everything will be due in mid-September. Whether or not I travel elsewhere to do research it is yet still to early to say; however, I did ultimately opt to give up the Olympics hospitality/PR job because I felt its hefty time commitment would take away from my academic pursuits. Other good things are in store for me, I have no doubts about that. :)

My one outing for the weekend was over to Notting Hill area with a coursemate. Notting Hill has to be one of my favorite parts of town, its just so cute....albeit very un-liveable on a graduate student budget! But I do like going to the area to wander around because there is always something interesting to be seen. On Saturday I accompanied my coursemate through Portobello Market on her search for Christmas presents. Portobello is supposedly the world's largest antique market. It is a stretch of street (Portobello Road) lined with antiques shops; on Saturday vendors take over the road as well. The end of the antiques section opens up into your typical market - random stuff, fruit/veggies, flowers, baked goods, and Christmas trees/wreaths at this time of year.

1GBP for an absolutely enormous slice of apple strudel from this vendor!

En route back to the King's Cross area, my coursemate and I decided we'd do a few other Christmas-y things and swung by Harrods to see their Christmas displays. Everything was Swavorski themed in the window displays, e.g. way way way beyond the normal person's budget. But that is essentially Harrods' niche market to begin with - the "normal" person can most easily afford things in the food halls or in the Harrods souvenir shop. We walked from Harrods along Picadilly past Green Park (the backside of Buckingham Palace) and perused Fortnum & Mason and all of their Christmas displays (the edible kind!) before finally jumping a tube back to our humble abodes.

Swavorski crystal-studded dress @ Harrods

Transportation this weekend was made a bit more difficult not because of various Tube lines being closed but rather because a huge chunk of Oxford Street was blocked off and made pedestrian-access only (related BBC report here). Last year when I was in England for Christmas, I remember the BBC showing scenes of a snow-covered and near-empty Oxford Street. Not this year! Guess the Eurozone crisis nor the global recession is as bad as what the media says it is?! Or at least it doesn't seem to affect all of those people that made the pilgrimage to shop Oxford street this past weekend (and practically every other weekend leading up to 12/25). I had honestly forgotten about the street closures until I hopped on a bus today (Sunday) only to hear the familiar voice: "This bus is on diversion. Please listen for further details." What should have been a ~35min route via Oxford Street became a ~15min route that took me parallel to Oxford Street and rejoined the original route at Marble Arch. Not too bad of a deal, all things considered, as it definitely saved me some time!

Look for another update before I head off to China on Friday; there are a few exciting things down in my diary for the coming week that are definitely worth sharing with all of you readers.

Christmas Markets

2011-12-06T07:19:00.001Z

London at Christmas is absolutely electric. It is also cold enough that it really should just hurry up and snow already! There is an abundance of holiday-themed things to do around town, and trees/decorations are up seemingly everywhere. A part of Oxford Street has also been blocked off to traffic since there are concerns with people either (a) smushing one another or (b) being smushed by oncoming traffic.

This past Saturday, I went with my flatmates to the Christmas Market on South Bank. My German flatmate was particularly keen on going since the market had been branded "German" and she was determined to prove how German it was not.

Here are my top reasons for why one should go to (and consequently love going to) Christmas markets:

(1) Hot chocolate, cider, and mulled wine

(2) Vendors with their random selection of 'stuff' -- see pictures below

(3) Christmas tunes filling the air...and passerby singing right along

(4) Prime people-watching territory; how many times do you see people climb into a lifesize snowglobe to have their picture taken as fake snow blows up into their faces?!

(5) Its just downright Christmas-y. :)

Food/drink market before the actual market

Voila! South Bank Christmas market

And a sample of some merchandise...

London by night -- my favorite :)


Norway donates a tree every year to the UK; they put it in Trafalgar with lights and a star!

East end of Oxford Street

Mr. O2 and Mr. Stroll-in-the-Park

2011-12-05T16:05:00.001Z

I hadn't intended to write anything about two particular British male individuals I have encountered recently, but today with Mr. Stroll in the Park I hit a tipping point of sorts. Perhaps getting this down on record will help me put things back into perspective and crack on with my last paper and readings for tomorrow.

I really admire when guys are gutsy and "man up" so to speak in asking a girl out or for her number or what have you. Its cute, its traditional, and I am all for it. But there is a line of demarcation in there between "cute" and "creepy." Take Mr. O2 for instance. For those of you outside of the UK, O2 is a cell phone provider. They pride themselves on their good customer service (boy are they high energy sales people!) and competitive monthly plans. In signing up for my contract with O2 early in October, my new mobile phone number was entered into their system at least six or seven times for various steps of the process. Guess who memorized it? Yupppp - Mr. O2. I am certain he is probably breaching some domestic law about privacy but I haven't really deemed it worth my time to find out what such a law is and let him know that I would be willing to use it against him. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of academics and everyday London life, it is much easier option to just ignore calls and block text messages.

Today, on my way home from uni and after a quick workout at the gym, I was walking through my favorite little garden when Mr. Stroll in the Park approaches from my left side. Our dialogue went something like this:

Mr. S-in-P: May I ask you what time it is?
Me: Sure (looks at phone), its 3:25.
Mr. S-in-P: OH YOU'RE AMERICAN! (he was really excited)
Me: That's correct, yes.
Mr. S-in-P: Whereabouts are you from?
Me: Chicago (since most English struggle to say "Peoria" and will have no idea where it is anyways...)
Mr. S-in-P: Chicago! Really? I absolutely love the musical. Some great songs it has. You know I did some musical work once... actually wrote some songs for that musical.
Me: Uh-huh, neat. So what do you do now?
Mr. S-in-P: Well I do catering work, but my training was in graphic design at [some uni in London] and I'm really just earning money until I can start my own business.
[pause]
Mr. S-in-P: So I don't mean to catch you off guard or anything, but you seem really nice and you're quite a pretty young woman... care to go for drinks sometime?
Me: Uhhhh... (I probably looked like a deer in headlights as I stammered around for words) yeah, that's nice of you and all - especially seeing as how I just left the gym - but....uhhhhh....yeah, not really my thing. Sorry.
Mr. S-in-P: Oh I see, but you know that's ok. [insert comment about my legs here - he had guts + nerve!] You don't mind if I talk to you do you? Or if I see you in the area that we talk some more? I live nearby in Bloomsbury. You go to uni here?
Me: Uhhh, sort of. (Mental red flags and walls abound at this point!)
Mr. S-in-P: Ok, well, my name is Nick. And you are?
Me: I'm Lauren.
[really awkward handshake at this point -- he says his right hand is cold so he extends his left hand and I see a ring; but couldn't place it as on the middle finger or on the ring finger before it went back into his pocket]
Me: Ok, well I need to get going.
Mr. S-in-P: It was nice to meet you, see you soon! Have a lovely afternoon.

Seriously, do I have some weirdo magnet attached to me? Is it that hard to just want a peaceful walk home to a cup of tea and a scone? The lesson du jour remains: exercise greater caution in giving strangers the time from here on out.

Its not to say that all English men have been this way -- no broad sweeping assumptions like that for me! My male coursemates are all quite fantastic. And if I time my morning walk to SOAS correctly, my path almost always crosses with some local guy on a Barclay's bike that shouts "Good morning, beautiful!" to every single female pedestrian he passes haha. There is redemption; not all of them are so...direct, to say the least.

Big deadlines this week for me, and steady progress. Christmas break is within reach! Hope everyone here in the UK or at home in the states is getting all geared up for the holidays.

Public Sector Strike

2011-11-30T22:44:00.001Z

11/30/2011 was deemed a "Day of Action" as public sector workers across the country took united strike action to defend their pensions. It was a bit chaotic here in London, but by staying clear of campus, I think I avoided most of the hubbub. All lectures and tutorials for the day were cancelled -- resulting in 7 hours of classes on Thursday instead (yipee?!) -- and students even had the option of participating in the strikes alongside our teachers. SOAS being, well SOAS (e.g. as liberal as Oregon!), also decided the time was right to start an Occupy Movement. The small lawn we have between buildings now features several tents and a yurt. Hopefully the protesters will shower and keep the area a bit tidier than their counterparts outside St Pauls!

I personally didn't really feel comfortable going to the picket lines, just because I feel like a bit of an outsider in this situation. In my opinion there are more effective ways than striking to make change happen. The professors at SOAS and across the country deserve every bit of the pension that was promised to them a few years ago and I do support why they are on strike. However, as it really did interrupt my schedule...yeah, not such a big fan. Not only was school essentially off limits (we were told that we could cross the picket line if need be) but every other library in town was running on restricted hours. Good timing, too, since everyone is nearing the end of the term and papers/research project are in great abundance. I spent a better part of my day reading from home, only to take a study break with a Londoner friend and explore South London (mainly Brixton and Peckham areas... the key being that we explored before dusk since the area can be a bit dodgy).

The Guardian has some pretty detailed coverage of how things played out on the ground today; if you are interested, do point your cursor here for stories and photos.

In other news -- and before I get back to more reading at 11pm (already?!) -- I was offered a job during the London Olympics doing hospitality-type work with VIP Chinese clients of the sponsor companies (HSBC, China Air etc.) that come over. It is definitely one of those 'once in a lifetime' kind of opportunities, so I do imagine I will be accepting the offer in the next week or so once these papers get done...........!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T06:44:00.001Z

Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone! Hopefully the past weekend was a much needed break in routine for all of you and you were able to spend it with family/friends/loved ones.

While the better part of my weekend was spent writing papers and doing coursework (surprise, surprise -- it is almost the end of the term!), I was fortunate enough to get a bit of time to properly celebrate Thanksgiving. On Thursday morning, I attended a Thanksgiving service in St Paul's Cathedral hosted by the US Embassy of London. It was quite a nice ceremony: there was a choir, we sang some hymns, listened to a sermon and the Presidential proclamation, and ended with singing "America the Beautiful." Try singing a patriotic song in a cathedral with 2000 others...it is quite the experience! The rest of my Thursday was oh-so-exciting with a lecture and seminar for my Chinese & International Politics module. I did also get to watch NFL games on Thanksgiving Day, however, as I was invited to join a coursemate and her family at a sports cafe in Picadilly Circus area. My Thanksgiving dinner thus became a very well-done Texas Burger and two onion rings. Sitting behind us at the sports by was apparently London's top American Football team, the London Blitz. During the halftime show - when Nickleback got axed in the US - they were showing clips of the London Blitz games on what looked to be a high school/secondary school field. We were commenting on how the players looked to be quite scrawny (which they did!) and had twiggy legs and such....right about then, the coach popped his head into our table and pointed to one of the players we were talking about. Ooops! We tried really hard to make up for our faux pas in discussing our separate national sports (football vs. soccer), but who knows how well we succeeded. Lesson learned: keep opinions about others playing the US national sport to oneself!

I had a lot of questions from home about whether or not I was getting turkey this Thanksgiving, especially when I skyped family members on Thursday night my time. The good news: I had not one, but two turkey meals this weekend. I hosted a Thanksgiving lunch in my flate for coursemates and flatmates -- cooking two birds (the oven is small...) and recruiting flatmates to help with stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies and dessert. It went off really well and we had a lot of fun (see pictures)! On Saturday, I had another Thanksgiving lunch with fellow Ambassadorial Scholars at a Rotarian's home. Our host only had to prepare one turkey however, because it was absolutely massive at around 25lbs.

Thanksgiving is quite possibly one of my favorite holidays as it is a good reminder to step back and be grateful. I have so very much to be grateful for this year - any list of gratitude would be miles long! Thanks to those of you that continue to support my studies and endeavors abroad. I am so lucky to have such amazing family and friends that continue to inspire me. :)

More updates soon -- I'm wrapping up paper #2 out of 3!

London by foot

2011-11-20T20:55:00.001Z

Since I did very little this weekend besides read and write term papers, I'm actually going to continue where I left off in the last post with an update about my adventures as a tour guide in London. My friend came up from France early on Saturday morning -- so early that as I was leaving to walk to St Pancras International (where the Eurostar arrives, about 10min from home on foot!) the Friday night party animals were just returning home. Only in London. Susan was really excited to be in London and we were finally re-united after about two years of intermittent facebook communications and skype chats. I asked her how she preferred to get around for the weekend, her answer was on foot. So on foot it was!

Saturday was the equivalent of Mao's long march gone London. Let's just call it Lauren's long march. My dad took me and my family on a long march in Hong Kong once where we traversed the island...I think this surpassed the scope of the HK march just because London is not an island. We walked down to the Thames from where I'm living, popping out slightly upstream of St Paul's (OccupyLondon is still happening...), and along the Embankment/North Bank all the way to Westminster. I hadn't yet been inside Westminster -- good gosh is it amazing! I have been in a lot of cathedrals in Europe before, but Westminster is all new levels of wonder. I spent both the beginning and end of our 2+ hour tour just sitting still, enjoying the quiet, and really marveling at the sheer beauty of the inside of the church. I talked with one of the workers and fished a bit for details about the Royal Wedding (who wouldn't?!). He said that he was standing by the front door (where tourists exit) and saw the whole shebang. William and Kate gave the cathedral staff programs from the wedding and a few days later, they sent pieces of wedding cake and signed wedding portraits to all those that helped. Talk about a personal touch on the thank yous! I have resolved to go back to Westminster for one of the 7:30am services at some point, too, mainly because I would like to hear the boys' choir sing at mass.

From Westminster, we walked up to Buckingham Palace (just barely missing the changing of the guard...oops?!) and took another bazillion photos. It was a good excuse for me to be touristy, because I usually don't like taking 50 photos of the same place. But Susan had a nice Nikon DLR and she took hundreds upon hundreds of photos of everything, including multiple close-ups of her English Breakfast and other meals. By the end of the weekend, I was ready for a break from all the camera action! Anyways... from Buckingham, we walked through St James' Park and along the Mall up to Trafalgar Square, on towards Piccadilly Circus and then back down to the Thames for the Lord Mayor of London fireworks show. There are essentially two mayors, you've got good ol' Boris (and his horrible Trump-esque hairdo) that runs the whole show, and then the Lord Mayor that is just responsible for the City of London. The City of London obviously falls within the center of London, including important landmarks like St Paul's and the like.

On Sunday morning, we headed down to the Thames again - South Bank this time - to go up in the London Eye. I was really excited to go up on the Eye, especially since it was a perfectly clear and crisp autumn morning. But, gosh, was it expensive! We left the Eye and walked across Westminster Bridge towards Big Ben etc at just about 11am. Turns out that it was Remembrance Sunday and all of the roads in the area (particularly the government offices in Whitehall) were all blocked off for a Church service that was happening in the streets. Oh and the Queen was there, to lay a wreath on a memorial at precisely 11am. We couldn't see much of anything, so Susan and I hopped on the tube for the British Museum.

I will save details of the British Museum for later -- SOAS is 7min on foot from the Museum and I go there quite frequently whenever I'm in need of a study break. Enjoy the pictures below as they quite literally retrace my steps with Susan through London.

Happy early Thanksgiving! :)

Mamma Mia

2011-11-14T13:09:00.001Z

Mamma Mia... this could be a title for a blog post about how I walked my legs off this past weekend with a friend visiting from France and didn't study but for a few hours in total. Or it could be the title for a quick pre-lunch update about the musical I went to see last week. Fortunately for all of you reading this, it is the latter! (The former will be my next study break blog post!)

Last week was our Reading Week, a week set aside most certainly for the graduate students. The little undergrads - bless them - went off to the European continent to party it up for a week or back to their hometowns to be with family/friends/significant others. But all of us super cool and wonderfully hard-working grad students got to spend Reading Week reading! I finally have begun to utilize my British Library membership and opt for the peace and quiet of the reading rooms here rather than the over-crowded SOAS or LSE libraries. The British Library has been absolutely great, too, since they own every book that has ever been published. One complaint, however, would be the lack of a pre-Queen arrival announcement last week when Her Majesty came to open an art exhibit downstairs. I was promptly hurried out of the building that day - such as life.

Anyways -- Mamma Mia was a really good show. For those of you that have already seen the musical or the movie, you are probably quite aware of how silly (stupid) the plot is. But the ABBA music is so good that it completely supersedes the cheesy storyline. Fortunately the cast here in London was a lot better than Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan and the like in the film. We had pretty good seats on the ground floor about 10 rows back for a discounted last minute price and left the theater dancing our way home. My coursemate and I may have been the youngest people in the theater that actually knew the ABBA songs, there was quite a generation gap for some reason. All in all, it was definitely the mid-Reading Week pick-me-up that my coursemate and I both needed! With so many shows in this town, I am definitely looking forward to the next theater-going experience I can get to...which may actually be a night of Christmas carols at the Royal Albert Hall before I take off for the winter holiday break.

Happy Monday to all of you! Look for more soon. And photos...I promise!

Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night

2011-11-08T15:14:00.001Z

A quick blog update serves as a study break for me today -- it is reading week (i.e. - no lectures or tutorials, thank goodness!) but I have more than enough reading for my courses as well as extra reading for papers...deadlines are coming up in the first two weeks of December. All of the postgrads have stayed here in London, mostly working hard, and the undergrads at SOAS have all gone home or to the continent to travel for the week. Lucky little undergrads. I do have some plans for a few outings around town and a good friend from my year in Taiwan will be visiting this weekend from France, so updates of 'fun' and other non-academic 'adventures' will soon follow.

In the States, or perhaps just in Oregon, the 5th of November hits and some people walk around eerily mumbling things like "Remember, remember the 5th of November." I knew why the holiday existed (yes, for its London roots) but had never had the chance to partake in Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night until this past weekend. I volunteered with a local Rotary Club to count visitors at a gate to a park in the North part of London, one of the boroughs where the riots happened over the summer to be exact. I was given one of those handheld clicker things and went at it; among three people counting entrants, we reached just over 4000 people in a little over 90 minutes. Each person was paying around 5GBP to the Boy Scouts who had set up the events for the night. Celebrations resembled something like a summer fair/4th of July celebration in the US -- there were carnival rides, food stands (cotton candy, hot dogs, fish and chips etc), and then the fireworks display to cap off the evening. Some Bonfire Night celebrations also had bonfires, with or without effigies of Guy Fawkes.

So who exactly was Guy Fawkes and why is the 5th of November so important to remember? Guido Fawkes, as he was officially called, became involved with a small group of English Catholics at the start of the 17th century that had planned to assassinate the Protestant King James and replace him with his daughter. They got access to the storage rooms under Parliament and successfully built up a nice stash of gunpowder...until they were apprehended in action. Everyone involved was tortured and sentenced to death, but before Fawkes was hung he jumped from the gallows and broke his neck instead. He still ended up quartered -- the parts were displayed in the "four corners of the kingdom" as a warning to other treason-wannabes. I personally find it a bit odd to be celebrating what modern society would label 'an act of terrorism,' but whatever, it is all intended to be fun. To say the least, it is definitely a very British tradition.

Back to the books for me -- I've been bouncing between the British Library and SOAS today, and will continue to enjoy a cup of Costa Coffee as I read about China. :)

Parking, police, and credit fraud

2011-11-02T23:49:00.000Z

Some days are just full of unexpected ups (or downs) and today was definitely one of them. About halfway through the day, as I was progressing steadily through readings for my China and International Politics module, an email pops up alerting me that a withdrawal from my US bank account was made exceeding a given amount. I log in and whatnot only to find that the hefty charge was from a parking lot in Westminster on November 1st. As luck has it, not only do I not own a car (and if I did...would London really want me on their roads??!!), but I was no where near Westminster yesterday and in full possession of my various cards that have remained stashed in my wallet as I am obviously using a local UK bank now instead. Whoever decided to pay for their parking with my card must have been parked in the lot for literally weeks -- it was no small sum! One of my coursemates joked that it was probably some posh local that drives a Maserati (possibly a stolen one) and will now be exposed for corruption and credit fraud....highly doubtful, but funny.

Thus began my first encounter with both the UK police and the US anti-fraud bureaucracies. The UK police were extremely helpful on the phone, throwing lots of 'darlings' and 'loves' into the conversation as the officer gathered all the basic information from me. And apparently my "accent is just adorable," thanks Metropolitan police for that one. On the bright side, the UK has the most CCTV/traffic cameras of (arguably) any other country in the world, and the officer mentioned that they will work to try and figure out not only when someone used my card number to pay for parking, but more importantly, who so kindly decided to use my card number without my permission. So while the UK police don't carry guns, they sure are helpful in smoothing out these other bumps in life!

The mystery then remains as to how my card number was obtained when it has just been stashed away in the confines of my wallet. On this side of the pond, the theory is that my card was copied somehow by someone somewhere at some point in time. So clear, I know. The US-based jury is still out as to how exactly this happened, but that's ok with me. I'm just grateful I have 3G on my phone and was able to Skype back to the US quite quickly and get things sorted out properly before my friend in Westminster had time to wrack up shopping bills to go with his/her parking charges.

Today has been an incredibly long day for me, and having to spend the time dealing with this whole banking imbroglio has not helped so much. But it is done, you have read about it, I have once again realized that all clouds have silver linings and can go to sleep content and ready for a new day. More China readings await me in the morning!

PS -- I absolutely love watching London wake up. Morning runs (or walks) have become a refreshing part of my schedule...and something I look forward to at the end of days like today! Not only are the mornings quiet, but I get some really cool views of the city (see below).

Brighton and back

2011-10-31T21:56:00.000Z

Hello everyone! I feel quite on top of things tonight -- with readings for tomorrow's class done before 10pm, I am allowing myself a few extra minutes to write another blog post.

This past weekend I took an excursion down to Brighton with two of my flatmates, a German and a Canadian. From all that I had heard of Brighton, I had been expecting it to be something of a British version of Eugene, Oregon where my alma mater is located. For those of you that don't know of Eugene, it is quite the liberal hippie town. Lots of tree huggers, outdoor-enthusiasts and a pretty well-developed LGBTQ community as well. From all that I had been hearing of Brighton as Britain's gay capital, I was operating on the assumption that the dominance of the LGBTQ community would make it feel a bit like Eugene. In some ways, I was right...but overall it was definitely a different kind of city.

We arrived in Brighton and it was misting, a la coastal city style. The same kind of mist Eugene gets on a fall morning. If all else is new and different, at least I am used to the weather in this country! Brighton is surprisingly compact, and after being in London, it is a bit refreshing to go to a city that can literally be traversed on foot within 20 minutes. We walked down the hill, straight towards the ocean, and arrived at our hostel within 15 minutes. Our late afternoon hours were spent wandering the pier and oceanside promenade. The plan was to get dinner around 8pm, but we learned the hard way that - unlike London - pubs and restaurants arbitrarily decide to close their kitchens at 8pm in Brighton. All that remained were countless 'greasy spoon' options of fish and chips. Fish and chips aren't really my cup of tea because the portions are just outrageously huge...so I should be good to go for another three months on that one serving of ~~fat~~ er...fish!

Saturday was our big 'touristy' day in Brighton. We were out of our hostel by 9:15am and walked the oceanside promenade a bit more until the Royal Pavilion opened at 10am. The Royal Pavilion (aka the 'pleasure palace' -- see top left photo) was built for the Prince Regent (who became King George IV) in stages between the years of 1787 and 1823. It looks a bit like the Taj Mahal from the outside; but the inside is completely decked out in the most gaudy, ostentatious orientalist decor one could imagine. The banquet room, for instance, features a 1+ ton chandelier suspended from the ceiling by an iron dragon and surrounded by iron phoenixes. The room was so intimidating, I doubt any of King George IV's guests were able to stomach their food! Photos were not allowed on the interior, but are widely available on the internet if you are interested.

The remainder of Saturday was spent wandering through Brighton's shopping streets and markets. We found a really good cafe with what they called 'kick-arse coffee' and some crazy cake combinations (chilli and plum cake, anyone?); met a really fun gay couple and played a round of team checkers; and laid low as the weirdos started to arrive in hordes for Brighton's annual White Night. The whole city dresses in white (in theory) and there are performances and the like around town that one can wander in and out of. This year being the same time as Halloween, a lot of people took the chance to make 'white' more 'weird' and amped up the blood and guts factor. To each his own, I guess, but I was happy to leave the White Night scene and return to London and the comfort of my own bed :)

Happy Halloween to all -- be safe if you are going out to celebrate and kindly indulge in a few extra Reese's peanut butter cups or boxes of Junior Mints on my behalf :)

Conferences, seminars, and more conferences

2011-10-30T08:55:00.003Z

So much ofthis whole graduate school experience is about reading what I want to read andlearning about what most interests me. While it is definitely a “good deal” soto speak, it can (and already has proven to be) a bit overwhelming at times.Take the library at SOAS, for instance. Our library is the UK libraryfor Asian researchers; having spent time perusing the shelves, I would arguethat it is quite possibly the best Asia-related library I have yet to set footinto anywhere in the world. And if we don’t have it at SOAS, the BritishLibrary and its infinite book reserves are within ten minutes on foot.

Anotherperk of being a grad student at SOAS is all the conferences and seminarsscattered throughout the days and evenings. This past Monday, the Centre for InternationalStudies & Diplomacy hosted the 6^th Annual Conference on a MiddleEast WMD Free Zone. It is quite the hefty topic, and definitely not one that Ihave any prior familiarity with, but something that I have quickly jumped rightinto within the centre. Our conference this year happened at a particularlycrucial time as countries are preparing to gather in Finland in mid-2012 totalk about one and the same issue: nuclear disarmament in the Middle East. Atthe conference, we were thus very fortunate to have the Finish ambassador tothe UK in attendance as well as representatives from the US State Department,Russian Federation and UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The latter threerepresentatives sat at the same table for a panel discussion – and seemed toreach the beginnings of a consensus in their discussion of why a WMD free zoneshould be created in the region to ensure regional stability and preservenational interests. My week wrapped up with another seminar on China inSoutheast Asia and plans to attend a thinktank forum this coming Monday onChina and America in Asia. So many amazing academic opportunities! :)

Theprecursor to all of these academic conferences was last weekend’s RotaryDistrict Conference. It was labelled a “weekend away” by the organizers andshould thus – to some extent – be considered as such! The Rotary AmbassadorialScholars in my district were presented to the District Governor and attendeeson Saturday morning; otherwise, it was a pretty wide assortment of seminars andpresentations. I left most inspired by the story of one particular presenter.The first, a Welsh woman, ran around the world in four years after her husbandpassed away from prostrate cancer. Central to her journey was her genuine lovefor life’s adventures – while many would have viewed the loss of their spouseas the end of their own life, she took an extremely proactive approach to thischallenge. She left her house in Wales and ran down to the European continentand across Russia, into Siberia, through Alaska, across Canada, up intoGreenland and then island-hopped her way back to Wales. Living in a tent andoff of minimal food supplies, I was most impressed by how the smallest acts ofkindness really captured her attention and fuelled her journey around theglobe. If you are interested in hearing more about the speaker, Rosie, and herstory click here.

The Rotaryweekend was not entirely filled with seminars and presentations and there wasindeed some time to explore the costal town of Eastbourne and talk to Rotariansand my fellow Ambassadorial Scholars. On our Saturday afternoon off, I walkedwith two others towards Beachy Head and the infamous chalk cliffs. While verybeautiful – and quite certainly used in several Hollywood films – the chalkcliffs are also a popular spot for jumpers. On the drive back from Eastbourne,the Southgate club President suggested stopping in the city of Battle to see anAbbey and the battlefield from the Battle of Hastings. For those of you thataren’t too familiar with British history, the Battle of Hastings between theNormans and the English occurred in mid-October 1066 during the Norman conquestof England. The then-king, Harold II, died during the battle and it was adecisive Norman victory at the end of the day. The abbey was built under KingWilliam (‘The Conquerer’) as a memorial for all those who lost their lives atHastings. We had a special themed tour of the grounds and got to hear all the ‘spooky’stories related to the battle and the abbey. Apparently there were so manydeaths in the one battle that when torrential rain hits the area, the groundoozes a red-ish hue. While the guide tried hard to convince us that it is theblood of those buried underneath, I would like to think it is just high ironlevels in the soil!

Needless tosay, weekends continue to fill up and disappear before I have a chance toreally slow down and acknowledge that it is the weekend. Perhaps the moral ofthe story is that this year is really going to be a good test of my timemanagement skills. Between courses, reading, seminars, conferences, a sociallife and the desire to travel/see London....there are only 24 hours in a dayand I am milking each and every hour for all that it is worth!

Ascot -- and other updates

2011-10-19T06:57:00.001+01:00

Good morning, everyone! I have gotten swept up in the flurry of school and other activities, unfairly putting blog updates onto the back burner. Will try to do better in the coming weeks...

It is quite hard to believe that I've been here for just a few days over one month now. The first chunk of time has absolutely flown by. If the rest of the year moves this quickly, then I will be looking at a return to the US and life's next steps before we know it. But the passing of time at such a fast clip is in fact a good thing -- I have really been enjoying everything that I'm doing. I know this is a bit of a continuation from the last post, but I really can't tell everyone how rewarding and intellectually challenging my courses are. Guest lectures for the General Diplomatic Studies & Practice module have been particularly exceptional, as our classroom has recently hosted an American involved in the Six-Party Talks and a top-Hamas/Palestine expert. And then there was the entire day spent on Monday in Media Training with two BBC staff members; one, a radio and news personality, instructed us in voice and projection and the like...the other taught us about speech-writing and presenting political stories/viewpoints/arguments in different media outlets. There were lots of different activities and simulations for our small group of six that day -- ultimately, all of our presentation skills have been polished and refined, preparing us for demands within our course modules as well as what likely awaits us in the "real world." I really do wish there was more time in the day, as I have found that there is a lot I want to read (especially in SOAS's Asia-oriented library) but not quite enough time to read it all. It probably doesn't help that one lecturer likes to throw additional readings out via email after the lecture and on top of the ~500 pages she's already assigned for the week. Such is the life of a CISD/SOAS student, and I'm always up for a good challenge.

In more exciting news - and to prove that I am not only studying - I was invited along to Ascot last weekend for the horse races. It was Champions Day, and there was something like 3 million GBP in prizes being given away. We took the train to Ascot in the morning, all classy with our formal attire and fascinators (think hats, American friends!) arriving with plenty of time to wander the facility and enjoy a picnic lunch. On our tour of the Ascot race grounds, we happened to hear where the Queen would be arriving at; and of course, as nearly any human being would, we wanted to hang around until the Queen arrived. It be came a bit of a lengthy waiting process and we totally sacrificed our picnic lunch (turns out there wasn't enough food to begin with) but I am pleased to report that I did in fact see the Queen...albeit from a small distance! As we waited, we were taking small bets about what color the Queen would be wearing. Yours truly won with a guess of pastel yellow.

The horse races themselves - as there were only 5 during the day - were exciting, but happened so quickly that it was a bit...well, anti-climatic. We had seats and a clear view of the course (both the start and finish lines), but I did move down onto the grass to be close to the fence for one of the races as the horses charged by. Out of pure happenstance, I read the paper the evening before and paid attention to which horses were expected to win and did bet some money. We had free 2GBP bets with our entry card, not like I was a big gambler or anything, but I made a nice 3.75 off of 2 horses. Were it not for the news, any form of betting on the horses would have been like trying to find a needle in a haystack for me. Another interesting side point, as leading up to Ascot, the BBC was reporting of a new rule allowing jockeys to whip their horses seven times (and no more) during a race. While many are upset by this new rule, I think it probably adds an additional element of strategy to the sport, all the while pleasing those animal rights activists.

Autumn is setting in here in London, with crisp days and cooler temperatures, lots of wind and leaves starting to change colors and fall. Now if only the building management could turn on the central power switch for our heating!
Hope everyone is doing well and I promise to write another update sooner rather than later :)

Surviving the first week

2011-10-08T13:13:00.002+01:00

The best news for this post -- I survived my first week of grad school! It occurred to me on my Saturday morning walk to campus that I have a decision to be making every day. Am I choosing to be so caught up in the sheer mass of three 50+ page syllabuses and outside research OR am I choosing to be happy that I am doing what I most love every day of the week? The latter is definitely a safer bet, because I really am enjoying my courses/readings so far and have returned home each night tired but content.

Something that I've noticed about the UK system - minus the fact that final exams are next June and my grade is based upon 1-2 essays per term - is the question "what are you reading?" pops up a lot. Because over here, that is exactly what it is about: reading, and arguably more so for postgrads. My courses are structured such that each has a 2 hour lecture and 1 hour tutorial (discussion section) each week. And now that I have a finalized schedule, I am happy to report that I don't have classes on Monday or Friday. But if this past week is any sign of the times to come, then Mondays will be busy running around town (from home to Rotary to school) and Fridays will likely be spent nestled in the library or the Centre's offices with other International Studies & Diplomacy students.

I have already been trying to make time for other things, though, as it is important to me that I find a balance between work and "play." So Friday night I walked from home down along the Strand towards Trafalgar and the National Portrait Gallery. There are guided tours on Friday night and live music throughout the museum, so it was actually quite a nice atmosphere (an escape of sorts, the curator called it). Today, Saturday, I am going hat shopping (!) with another Ambassadorial Scholar to prepare for a trip to the Ascot horse races next Saturday. There is a pretty intense dress code for the horses races (not to mention a vocabulary I am completely new to) and the Queen will be there to award prizes to the champions. The weather has gotten quite cold all of a sudden, so I am hopeful that in a week's time the temperature will jump back up (16C would be nice...) just for the horse races. English weather remains as unpredictable as in Oregon!

I'm off for a Costa coffee and more time with "Nuclear North Korea" before the shopping excursion. A very happy weekend to everyone at home :)

Link Weekend

2011-10-04T20:18:00.002+01:00

Hello again, everyone!
This past week has been quite busy and I have finally found a quieter moment to write a quick update on life. On 26 September, Freshers Week (ie the British version of Orientation/Week of Welcome) officially began. My days were then quickly consumed by various seminars for international students and my two departments. As I have probably previously mentioned, I am doing an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy. This degree program belongs to the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD), which in turn falls into the Department of Law and Social Sciences here at SOAS. CISD is what I would like to view as a bubble within a larger organization: any problems/inquiries can be taken straight to CISD staff (rather than the larger bureaucracy) and there are some nice perks...namely, free printing and a trip to Geneva next year to see the UN and other international organizations. So after numerous induction ceremonies and orientation seminars last week, I was finally feeling prepared for classes to begin. This week marks my first official week of classes, but more on that in a bit.

To celebrate my two week anniversary in the UK (woohoo!), I left the hustle and bustle of London this past weekend for the Midlands, the small city of Stafford to be exact. A Londoner told me that this isn't exactly the place one would expect an American to go, and to be honest, he was probably right. I traveled to Stafford on Friday to join other Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars at the 2011 Link Weekend, an orientation weekend for all the Ambassadorial Scholars in the UK and Ireland. We were hosted by local Rotarian families for the weekend and given the opportunity to meet other Scholars as well as see some of the local sights. Perhaps more importantly, we were given a quick (but comprehensive) introduction to being an Ambassadorial Scholar in the UK and what our responsibilities for the year ahead entail. On Saturday, as of group of ~80 scholars, we traveled to Blists Hill Victorian Town in the Ironbridge Gorge area. Now for those of you that have kept tabs on my past travels, I was actually in this very same part of England last Christmas with my family...and we happened to visit Blists Hill, albeit in a large amount of snow. It was quite a change to see the Victorian Town when it was so warm (nearly 80F) and lively! Blists Hill is comparable to Williamsburg in the US, such that it recreates what Victorian era England would have looked like, how people would have lived/worked etc. The towns surrounding Blists Hill are of particular importance because the area was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution as the world knows it. Without the workers in neighboring Telford that opted to use iron and build a bridge over a gorge, countries around the world (including the US) may not have developed at the time we did. To top off our 'blast from the past' day trip, the Rotarians organized a barn dance in the evening for all the Ambassadorial Scholars. Despite initial reluctance from many, we were taught traditional British and Irish barn dancing. By the end of the evening, it was surprisingly fun...just don't ask me to demonstrate when I get back to the US. Our second day in Stafford was mostly meetings convened by various local government officials and Rotarians intended to better acquaint us with expectations for the year ahead. While not nearly as exciting as our adventures in Blists Hill or learning barn dancing, it was equally important. Perhaps the best part of the Link Weekend, however, was meeting and talking to 80 of my peers that are scattered across the UK and Ireland. Now I have an even broader network that will surely be utilized as I travel throughout the year! :)

Back in London, I noticed just how fast the pace of life is in comparison to the countryside. It sure is a good thing that I walk quickly! Things are starting to feel more 'normal' as I figure out where to get groceries, how to get around, and I have [fortunately] begun sleeping through the Metropolitan Police sirens that tend to pierce the late hours of the night. This week is another important marker in my experience as I am finally going to classes, doing readings, and developing my own routine/schedule. With two of my courses running from 6-8pm on two nights each week and another in the early afternoon, there really is a lot of flexibility for completing my homework and fitting in other adventures. While the sheer amount of readings is definitely no laughing matter, I am really as happy as a clam to be doing so much of what I love in such an exciting city.

Dinner time for me here, at almost 9pm, but look for another update (and hopefully pictures) as soon as my laptop returns later this week.

Orientation

2011-09-27T10:55:00.001+01:00

Greetings from a Bloomsbury internet cafe! My laptop is currently en route to Germany for repairs - such is the infant mortality rate of network cards - so my communications have been altered to compensate for this recent change. Its actually quite pleasant to take a break from computers; albeit, I still have an iTouch and Smartphone that are keeping me in the loop of things.

This week is the official Welcome Week/Orientation at SOAS. Its turned out to be incredibly exciting and really busy (but in spurts). I've been attending welcome talks for my department (Law & Social Sciences) and course (International Studies & Diplomacy) as well as various seminars about living in London, study tips in the UK education system etc. Wednesday and Thursday promise to be most exciting days as I will be with my fellow MA IS&D students for the better part of both days. And by the end of Thursday, I will finally have access to the library at SOAS...and an entire floor of China stuff. :) :)

Aside from this weeks activities, I have continued exploring the vicinity and Central London. Everything is surprisingly close -- like a little big city! I walked down to the Thames last Saturday and across it to meet some fellow Rotary scholars at the Tate Modern, walked back along the South Bank and up through Trafalgar etc before walking back to campus. There is a most amazing Saturday Market and Book Market along the South Bank...as well as in other places scattered throughout the city. My walk that day came in at only 6 miles, according to google maps, so really not all that bad.

I am really loving the incredible diversity of both SOAS and London. In some of the meet-and-greet sessions on campus, I have met people from small south Pacific islands, neighboring EU countries, and all over Asia and Africa. Our flat, and the 6 people therein, represent a pretty diverse spread of the world as it is - from Lebanon, India, Canada, US and Taiwan.

With this week quickly coming to a close, I will be heading to Stafford for the Rotary scholars Link Weekend -- a two-day event of meeting other Ambassadorial Scholars in Great Britain and Ireland. There will be more updates from my end soon, stay tuned!

Greetings from London!

2011-09-20T21:13:00.001+01:00

Where to begin? There is so much I want to write out andshare with all of you, but it could get to be one lengthy blog post. Iarrived on Saturday but have had such full days that there is littletime/energy left at night to write an update. So I will try to cut to the chaseand share the best of the past few days with you, dear readers.

Settling in is a lengthy process, to say the very least. I’vesettled in to “homes” in China and Taiwan, but London is a new adventure forme. It’s a big city (albeit not necessarily by China’s standards) with one heckof a diverse and highly cosmopolitan local culture. There have already been a few moments where I just spaceout because I can’t get around the accent. And then I walk away from thosemoments, after finally deciphering what the other person was saying, just able to laughat myself. I made it through all those provinces of China with their localdialects so this really should be fine. Today (Tuesday), I already feel myselfgetting into the swing of things linguistically. It’s a good thing that I’mgetting used to it, too, because I’ve had to deal with many a HumanRelationships rep (our PR/Customer Service people) in setting up a cell phone, bank account etc.

As for the excitement of the past few days, my newadventures have ranged from attending Church locally to Rotary meetings, anight at the Opera and a few other points/places of interest in between. OnSunday, I walked the better part of Notting Hill area…mainly justbecause I could and I had some time to kill. Lots of really cute stores andantique shops as well as a Farmers Market on weekends. I ended up wanderinginto Kensington gardens (not hitting up the Palace quite yet since it is still undergoing renovation) and explored thatarea (Princess Di Memorial fountain, Prince Albert Memorial) before a Rotaractsocial at (surprise surprise) a pub. Pub culture – something I will definitely talk about again in another post, is an aspect of British culture that makes ourbars in the US look less classy. On Monday, I went to Rotary viaTube (underground) but took a bit of a detour to get there. Let’s just say itwas an extra scenic detour because I ended up in East London when I needed tobe in North London. Construction on the tube lines did not help my own mistake, either. On the bright side, I learned where not to go at night time in the city. The Rotarians were extremely understanding when I did arrive (already havingmissed lunch by that point), but fortunately I was in time for the meeting andgot to hear about some of their projects and plans for the upcoming year. It isa small Rotary of only 13 people, but very welcoming and friendly nonetheless. Iwas asked to give a 10 minute self-introduction – a time frame that gave meenough time to talk about my own background as well as some hopes/goals for theyear ahead. They have a few programs with local schools, like a Young Chefscompetition, that I hope to get involved with as the year continues.

My Monday night ended with a 6-hour stint at the EnglishNational Opera. Note that the opera itself was only about 3 hours, but there werereceptions before and after the show that I was able to attend. I must admitthat I think I am hooked on opera. With a family friend, I saw “The Passenger,”a story about a Polish woman in Auschwitz who is separated from her lover butbefriended by one of the German SS members. All I can say is – go see it whenit comes to the States! I had the opportunity to meet the director, musical director,stage director, main characters, and the Polish woman who wrote the originalstory (and endured Auschwitz for three years)… absolutely phenomenal. There isn’tmuch to say besides that the set is amazing and plot is enthralling, albeitquite heavy. It is an English opera, so for those of you that do not likereading subtitles, fear not! London has so many theater options right aroundTrafalgar Square, and lots of discounts for students, so after I get my studentID next week I will definitely go back and see what other shows are affordable.

Today, amidst all the errands and a break for coffee withanother Ambassadorial Scholar, I did swing by and see St. Paul’s Cathedral andwalk across the Millennium Bridge and along the Thames for a bit. The weatherisn’t too bad, very much like Oregon, but it was quite a blustery day for awalk. Because some of my errands are a bit time-consuming (if not slightly resembling a wild goose chase) I have found that it is best to blend to-do-listactivities with bits of sightseeing. I am making slow progress, which is betterthan none, and feel certain that I will eventually get everything set up as school starts. In themeantime, there is no better way to see the city and accomplish what I need to do then by exploring on foot! :)

All packed up!

2011-09-16T02:50:00.000+01:00

Its hard to believe that I'm down to my last night in Peoria. No big celebrations, just a steak dinner out with my parents and a few Chinese business people. (Another story there -- its their first time in America, so lots of culture shock to go around). My two suitcases are both packed and underweight, the latter being a fact of which I am especially proud. In mailing myself my winter coat and a few sweaters, perhaps I did cheat a bit in packing...but oh well, I made it work.

I have spent a lot of time at the ice rink this week. Its kind of my 'space' I guess you could say. Whenever I've headed into a new adventure or experience, the one thing that has always remained constant is good ol' Owens Center. Having practically grown up at the ice rink here in town, everyone from the front desk attendant to the zamboni driver [still] remembers me. Its this kind of comfort and familiarity that has made it especially welcoming this week. Or perhaps it is the ability to spin and jump and frolic, literally skating everything else off that makes the rink an appropriate spot to spend my mornings. Even with coaches and skaters on the ice, the early morning sessions have given me just enough time to think and skate. I think I'm ready to head out tomorrow - ready for this next chapter in life, ready to start classes (on 10/3), and ready to continue to be an ambassador for Rotary, my hometown and my country.

Thanks for those that have held me close in thought as I prep for this next step. Do continue to look for more news and updates after my arrival to London on Saturday :)

The final five

2011-09-11T21:46:00.001+01:00

It is rather hard to believe that I will be off for London on Friday evening. Another year abroad -- and, with it, the task of fitting everything into two suitcases and a carry-on! I have packed in the sense that most everything I will need is spread on our living room floor. Sometime between now and Friday, things will start to make their way into my suitcases [hopefully...].

到英国又要开始新的生活、重新习惯新的地方...so I'm grateful to have the next five days to wrap up and meet with a few more Rotarians/friends/family before I take off. I have a feeling things will get busy as soon as I get to London!

Enrollment/registration

2011-09-02T03:23:00.000+01:00

As of late Thursday afternoon, I am officially enrolled and registered for grad school! Well...mostly. The one thing that I have noticed about SOAS and the British procedures is that there is often quite a bit of overlap. So, today while I did enroll successfully online, I have to enroll again in person upon arrival in London and present the same documentation that I scanned and uploaded online. Based on this process and the work for my visa, I have a hunch that this sort of overlap in the British bureaucracy may be a reoccurring theme of my upcoming year...but only time will tell if my hypothesis is valid.

The program I am enrolled in (MA in International Studies and Diplomacy) only requires four credits for the entire year. I probably shouldn't say 'only' as these are likely to be very intensive and demanding courses, but it does seem rather small in comparison to some of the 36 credit programs offered for Master's degrees here in the US. In the year ahead, I will be taking:

General Diplomatic Studies and Practice (academic + practical components)
International Security
China and International Politics (my schedule wouldn't be complete without something China related!)
Dissertation (extra exciting -- and only in one language this time around!)

My exact timetable is still TBA, however I do know that the first two courses will happen on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, respectively, with seminars for each taking place sometime during the afternoon.

Back to the Chinese paper I am working on -- more updates soon. Happy September :)

Wrapping up in China

2011-08-28T14:53:00.000+01:00

I can hardly believe that it is my last night in China. With my trip to Taiwan, last week absolutely flew by... as did my final weekend here on the mainland.

With packing still to do at 10pm, I'm going to leave the details of my final week for phone calls and emails to friends and family from various US airports tomorrow (that would be Monday).

Look for another update when I get home :)

Taiwan :)

2011-08-23T09:31:00.000+01:00

Each time I have come back to Taiwan, I am just overwhelmed by all the excitement of being back. Its almost like every day becomes Christmas -- I wake up really early excited for all the reunions with friends and good food of the day ahead. Taiwan is just hands down classy, too classy to be a part of the Mainland! There are other reasons though, and for the sake of keeping things concise, I will leave such reasons/politics for my discussions with those of you that are interested. One way or another, I cannot stress enough how much I am enjoying being back in a country where people wait in line and obey traffic laws, among other things. Life is no longer one big game of Frogger!

I haven't done anything out of the ordinary since arriving, really just spending time with my homestay families (from 2006-07) and former classmates/teachers. As soon as I landed on Sunday, I was rushed off to eat Taiwanese delicacies with two of my host parents. And every meal since has been delicious or noteworthy for some reason or another. I have a box of pineapple cakes to take back to the Mainland and will likely buy more (or perhaps suncakes) to disperse to friends/family in the States too. Let's just hope I don't eat all the food on my flight back to the States haha. Words cannot describe all the delicious-ness that I am absorbing -- Taiwanese food is just that good. It has been hot enough that lunch has been replaced by shaved ice all topped with fruit, nuts etc. and/or tea. With my host families convinced that I am "too skinny," they have gone out of their way to ensure I am eating at all of my favorite places. Definitely not a bad deal, but I have most enjoyed meals as they have become three-hour conversations rather than feasts.

All things considered, things haven't changed in five years as much as on the Mainland. So it has been easy to get around and re-visit places that made my exchange year way-back-when all the more enjoyable. I'm heading out to a night market to meet a classmate for dinner shortly, lots of street snacks (with the exception of stinky tofu!) and little shops. Then up to Taipei tomorrow on the high speed rail to see some University of Oregon classmates. Hope everyone is enjoying the end of August :) :)

Things I've been reading/watching...

2011-08-17T05:19:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to share a few links for awhile, and with my VPN having been down and out for a few days, I finally just got back over the wall again today.
(1) For those of you that haven't been over here, and sort of believe me about traffic (but not really completely believe me)... watch this video. Don't worry, no blood or anything. Just reality -- every day is like a game of frogger!

(2) I can't get enough of Sino-Africa stuff after my undergrad thesis, especially China-Sudan. And now with the formation of South Sudan (where lots of the oil is at!), there is a lot that could potentially happen as far as relations between the two countries go.

From The Economist, "China International Fund: The Queensway syndicate and the Africa trade"
and the Party-line on Chinese-Sudanese relations.

I'm really excited to focus my grad school studies more on Sino-Africa relations at SOAS, especially as I get all geared up to write my thesis in a year. Oooh and speaking of which -- course schedules are out and I will formally enroll on 1 September. :)

Shanghai (again and again)

2011-08-17T05:10:00.000+01:00

Another week has come and gone – hard to believe that this is actually my final full week on the Mainland. I’ve got a list of errands to run, things to buy, people to see, and places to go to before I take off to Taiwan and in the few days after I get back. If anyone can think of anything that they may want from over here, shoot me a note soon. Otherwise I’ll bring back tea and snacks and the like. :)

Last Saturday I headed into Shanghai to spend the day helping a former Chinese teacher from Taiwan look for a new apartment to rent. After the Wenzhou train accident last month, the high speed rail has been slowed down to around 250 km/hr rather than 320km/hr. Either way, I still was in Shanghai just after 10am and sitting down for mid-morning Costa Coffee before the hunt began. Housing in China (especially in the big cities) has become quite the bubble and numerous measures from the central government have been enacted to prevent the bubble from growing bigger and/or popping. With or without the policies from the government, housing in Shanghai is still expensive. And my former teacher is convinced that she wants to live in one of the trendier and centrally located parts of town, the French Concession.

Shanghai was originally divided up into a whole bunch of concessions for all the countries that had diplomatic and/or economic presence about 100 years ago. A lot of the concessions of other countries have since been reallocated and renovated, but the French Concession has preserved a good chunk of European/Western architecture. It has since become the trendy part of town – life for any foreigner would be easy in the French Concession, with countless Western restaurants, import groceries etc. lining the streets. Only certain corners of the French Concession are readily accessible by subway, again, ideal for the Western employee that has a car/driver option. That being said, my former teacher and her roommate began their search literally walking from one real estate company to another in search of affordable living options in the area that put them near to a subway station.

By mid-afternoon, we had walked a better of one-quarter the total area of the French Concession (trust me, it is more than it sounds!), but had only looked at three apartments. Everything was just way more expensive than what they had hoped. Granted they were looking in the center of one of the biggest financial capitals of the world…but rent for a 2 bedroom place was still reaching around 8000RMB (~$1500) per month. We decided to stop looking for the day and ate/shopped instead. Always a good plan, in my opinion.

Now that I’m back in Suzhou for the remainder of the week, things are moving along at the same China-pace: fast! I was in Shanghai again yesterday to pick up my UK Visa (hooray!!!) and caught up again with my former teacher for one meal and a fellow Flagship alum for another meal. The world is small, but Rotary and Chinese Flagship have made it even smaller. Shanghai was as hot and humid as any other day of the week, so I didn’t really mind having to sit in the UK Border Agency office as they sorted through all the envelopes looking for what may well have been the one-lone US passport they had in their possession. Because the UKBA doesn’t tell you whether or not you are granted the visa, they gave me the envelope and I raced outside to make sure I really did get the visa. It was quite reminiscent of opening college/grad school acceptance letters. I was so ecstatic to see my own picture in my visa that I practically danced out of the building – to the amusement of quite the number of locals. For once, I at least gave them something interesting to watch haha.

The rest of my second day trip to Shanghai went by pretty quickly. I wanted to see a different side of the city, because I usually stay on one side of the river amongst the older buildings. So I opted for the classy financial/business hub side of Shanghai on the other side of the river for the remainder of the day. After a Japanese lunch with my teacher, we wandered around a mall (its claim to fame being that it houses 100+ international luxury brands…and it probably did, but we didn’t take the time to find out!) and into Apple’s Shanghai Flagship store. She went back to work and I wandered amongst the skyscrapers and the river. Shanghai has got some great buildings (the Oriental Pearl Tower and the bottle-opener building!) and little is better than wandering amidst the Pudong steel jungle. I took frequent breaks because of the heat, finding quaint coffee shops or five-star hotel lobbies along the way that had solid air conditioning and windows for people-watching. While Shanghai has had a bit of an identity crisis with so much of a foreign presence (especially in recent years), I really did enjoy wandering about and watching the world go by. Despite all the walking it was definitely more of a relaxing day for me.

Between Thursday and Friday I will be ending both of my jobs. I cannot believe time has flown so quickly over here! Things could get bittersweet -- I'm trying not to think about coming home quite yet, besides for the fact that I really am craving a bagel!

The cost of "free"

2011-08-12T16:18:00.000+01:00

Before I dig into some of the nitty-gritty cultural things I’ve been pondering as of late, a quick update about life on this side of the pond. I took the day off of work on Monday and spent some much needed time with my parents and a classmate from Hangzhou that came over for the day. We had a few hours of solid conversation over coffee, a few more hours of idea-sharing over a hot pot lunch (yummy!!), and ended the day with Harry Potter IMAX 3D. Who knew a movie could be both IMAX and 3D… but it most definitely was. And just to clarify, Harry Potter really did just come out in theaters over here on August 4th. With the 90 year Anniversary of the Founding of the Party last month, there were some serious (and typical) restrictions in place about what could play in cinemas or on stage across the country. Just think red, lots of red, and Chairman Mao look-a-likes. That was essentially the only other movie option up until the start of August when both Transformers and Harry Potter hit China. One of the advantages to seeing a movie in China, I will admit, is that you get to pick your seats in advance and there are no previews. There is always a nice bright green screen reminding viewers that the movie has been approved by the National Film Bureau…they are the guys that do the censoring and whatnot too. So let’s hope I saw all of Harry Potter and not an abridged version!

Sometimes when I comment on things over here, my parents offer much needed reminders of how our country was once faced with many of the same issues that China is currently dealing with. Take the pollution, for instance. Every now and then when my contacts are particularly covered with grime, I will mention something in passing about how much gunk is in the air and we can’t see but 100ft in front of us. And my parents, of course they agree, but there are also reminders about how “LA still has bad pollution” or “the river in Cleveland was so dirty that it periodically caught on fire in the 1960s.” It is all about perspective, then, because sorting through problems like pollution (among others) then just become a part of the path towards status as a developed nation.

But what about things that are free, things that can be obtained at no cost? I happened to start thinking about this on my way to work today after my dad commented that his Chinese staff eat way more food than necessary at lunch and then spend the afternoon in a sleepy daze from the food/rice overload. The central government requires big companies to serve lunch to employees for free, so their work essentially earns them one meal per day. (For the record, I have no free meal at either job!) When I have worked elsewhere in China, I saw the same thing my dad commented on: my coworkers would consume food as if they had been fasting or had not eaten in a few days’ time. The same thing goes for sample tables – why sample just one piece when you can eat the whole tray? And soap and toilet paper cannot be placed in public bathrooms because people will either take the whole roll or bring in a container of some sort to take the soap straight from the dispenser.

There are always some exceptions, and not every person consumes huge amounts of food nor is every public bathroom without soap/toilet paper. But why do many Chinese see something that is “free” and go overboard, often taking far more than they need? Perhaps the desire to take advantage of all free things is reminiscent of times when people didn’t have much at all. Or perhaps it is because a lot of needs are not necessarily taken of by the powers-that-be, so people are literally taking things into their own hands? I’m not sure…just a few hypotheses.

Shanghai tomorrow to spend the day helping my former teacher from Taiwan hunt for a new apartment in the French Concession area, one of my favorite parts of the city mainly for its architecture. A Happy weekend to all. :)

P.S. – Some pictures from my mom’s camera of our adventures are up on Shutterfly. Look for more soon!

Qixi/Valentine’s Day

2011-08-06T16:17:00.000+01:00

Today (8/6) is the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar, a day otherwise known as Qixi and China’s Valentine’s Day. This year marks my third consecutive Qixi in China and let me tell you, I think they are getting cheesier and cheesier. Celebrating love is a most important thing, but it is sad to see Qixi becoming just another “Hallmark holiday” so to speak.

Like many other holidays, there’s plenty of tradition and superstition surrounding Qixi. Back in the good old days, women (either single or newlywed) would make offerings to several important female gods consisting of makeup, tea, flowers and fruit. After the offering is made (i.e., after it sits out for awhile), the makeup is divided up. One half (preferably the facial powder) is thrown onto the roof and the other half (all the other goodies) are divided up among the women of the household. Like other offerings, this is said to bind the women with the goddesses. I am certain more single women went to the temples today to pray to find a good husband sooner rather than later; and, likewise, newly married women rolled into the temples across China to pray for healthy pregnancy. I saw one wedding procession in town, so some may have also chosen today as their wedding day. Technically today is the Valentine’s Day for the women to give gifts to the guys (and the February one for the guys to gift the girls)…but I don’t think it works out that way much anymore in contemporary Chinese society. Everyone seems to kinda just do as they please.

I went into town today for a Costa Coffee mocha and spent a solid bit of time just watching the couples pass by outside the window. Costa happens to be on the shopping street and all the couples in Suzhou had the same idea to spend the day shopping. The rose vendors were out in full force, two roses for $0.80 or so. Couples were all decked out in their matching outfits, and husbands/boyfriends were reluctantly carrying their wives/girlfriends’ hot pink purses. It wasn’t a bad day to shop either since stores were having big sales and selling everything in pairs. When I asked one of my English students how she would spend the day if she had a boyfriend, she told me: “We would go shopping the whole day and I would make him buy me expensive clothing, like Burberry and Chanel and things. And then we would have a Japanese steak dinner with red wine.” She is 13…and perhaps watches too many Western movies?!

A quick shout-out to those of you that have kept me company by email and Skype this past week – I have greatly appreciated it. :) Hope you will all enjoy your [Chinese] Valentine’s Day, however, it may be spent!

Hangzhou Heatwave

2011-08-05T08:20:00.000+01:00

Before I dive into our travels down to Hangzhou, there is one last bit to add onto the Yu/Lu epic. Lu whined to his company that he didn’t want to work long hours and has a child. So since his priorities weren’t quite in line (and he clearly didn’t get the nature of his job), we moved quickly on to our current driver, Mr. Zhou. Mr. Zhou is legit – possibly a previous cab driver based on his knowledge of shortcuts and ability to navigate traffic like none other. We ended up with a good driver (at long last) and will definitely be keeping him.

So we left on Saturday morning by car to go to Hangzhou. Google logged it at around a 1hr40min trip to our first destination, but with traffic it was closer to about 2hrs. The reason that tourists all flock to Hangzhou is that the largest attraction – West Lake – is free. No money is required unless you want to visit the temples or various other historic sites that line the perimeter of the lake. This happened to be my second time to Hangzhou, and like the first time, I met up with a friend native to Hangzhou. Unlike last time, my Chinese teacher from Taiwan (who now works in Shanghai) took the high speed train down with another Taiwanese girl to join us for the weekend. We all met at Lingyin Temple, a Buddhist Temple dating back to 328AD. Founded by a monk from India, the temple and grounds have survived to present with only little damage during the Cultural Revolution. Zhou Enlai flagged Lingyin (and several other places throughout China) as culturally and/or historically important in the 1960s, thus Lingyin and others remained mostly untouched. Our walk through the grounds, en route to the temples, took us through a nicely shaded valley. Too bad the shade did little to help the heat. The cliffs on one side were covered with Buddhas that had been carved into the rock way back when – the most famous Buddha laughing on what looked to be a sofa. And rather than seeing just the one temple that I saw last time, we discovered more temples built into the rock face behind the one big temple. So we climbed the stairs and saw all the temples on the grounds. All Buddhist, but each had a different Buddha inside. We also saw the repository where they have preserved the artifacts from the original temple. I wish I could say that I remember more from the repository, but besides smaller stupas and temple ornaments, the only thing that sticks out in my memory was the fact that the repository museum area had central air conditioning.

From Lingyin, we had lunch and started to walk (slowly) around the lake. West Lake is famous for its landscape, but equally famous because it is associated with many scholars, heroes and martyrs – so it is as much a part of the culture and history as it is the natural landscape! As I’ve already hinted, there are also many buildings and sights of interest scattered along the circumference of the lake. On my last visit to Hangzhou, I walked a majority of the 13km around the lake over the course of two days with my friend. But this time, it was just too hot. We walked for a bit and succumbed to the 100F heat by retreating into Dairy Queen for a bit. Fortunately, it rained while we were eating ice cream (and some members of the group were napping); yet the rain did little to cool things off when we reemerged. So we opted to take an e-cart around the lake. We flew over arched bridges, past almost all the points of interest at the lake, and were back to our starting point (and Mr. Zhou) within 45min. Look for pictures on my Shutterfly account!

I suggested that we move indoors and somewhere cool to finish the day – to a mall! It just so happens that the mall I had in mind had an Olympic-sized ice rink in amongst the Fendi, Dior, Coach and other big designer stores. And while the opportunity to ice skate had presented itself, by the time we finally reached the ice rink, everyone (including myself) was so tired from the heat that food was the only thing on our minds. We opted for a dim sum chain, Din Tai Fung, for a lighter dinner. Originally from Taiwan, this chain has spread across the world including into the Los Angeles area. But one exception had to be made for the US store – rather than steaming everything in bamboo baskets, metal had to be used in the US to meet our health and hygiene standards. Dinner was too good and the ice rink never happened, but it was a good day in Hangzhou with friends and family nonetheless.

On Sunday, we woke up hoping to leave earlier in the morning before it got too hot. Our Taiwanese friends were tired and slept through their alarms so our plan did not quite work out. But such as life – I enjoyed having a longer more relaxing breakfast with my mom over multiple cups of some really strong coffee. When we did finally get out the door, we went to another not-to-miss Hangzhou hotspot, Leifeng Pagoda. On the far side of the lake, the pagoda has a nice panoramic view of the lake and downtown Hangzhou…on a clear day. This being my second time to the top of the Pagoda, I must say that it was not as clear as back in 2009. But it was still a good view! We were able to catch bits and pieces of the tour guide and spent time just enjoying the breeze. By “catching bits and pieces of the tour guide” I should really rephrase to say that I was listening to the tour guide and translating key points for my parents. Fortunately I was not translating alone and my Taiwanese friends jumped in for some of the more Buddhism-specific terminology.

From the Pagoda, we went to a walking street a la traditional Chinese style. Almost every city has one of these streets in one form or another. The Hangzhou one was lined with shops selling local delicacies (Longjing tea and a taffy-like candy) and restaurants. As the street ended, it connected to a street lined with buildings from the 1920s. It was almost like entering a parallel universe – straight from traditional China to European-style architecture. Even the McDonalds was in a classy building J Our afternoon was interrupted by another downpour, so we waited it out before hitting the road to head back to Hangzhou. All in all, it was a weekend well-spent. A weekend that definitely left me just as grateful for friends and family as ever.

Mr. Yu

2011-07-28T05:02:00.000+01:00

I’ve previously hinted to the fact that we have had some issues with our driver, Mr. Yu. He would often take the long way to a destination, other times ignoring his GPS, or just be a bit too timid and slow on the roads. His mistakes in Shanghai amidst heavy traffic almost cost me my visa appointment on Tuesday. But these were issues that had never left the family – we were working to find a solution and support our driver rather than reporting him. But halfway through Wednesday, when my mom was out with Mr. Yu running errands and I was hard at work, Mr. Yu gets fired. And for all too bizarre a reason – we’re joking that this is Wuxi Five-0 (since I’m obsessed with the new CBS version of Hawaii Five-0).

In China, when you rent a car you rent the driver along with it. My father’s employer requires us to use a car and driver (rather than driving on our own) and has some deal set up with Avis to make sure that we always have access to a car and driver. Mr. Yu was our second driver (the first one lasted for about a week) and while he was not exactly what I would call the sharpest tool in the shed, he was a decent guy. This summer, we started to call him “Pilsbury Dough Boy” - he had a bit of a stomach, not so much upstairs, and a unique little chuckle. Since Mr. Yu acquired his latest girlfriend, he has become noticeably happier (as he should) but also a bit fruitier. His driving got sloppier in the sense that he wasn’t thinking ahead. He drove down stairs once when my parents were in the car; and when I’ve been in the car recently, we’ve had several close calls with freight trucks broken down on the highway. But we never mentioned any issues we were having with Mr. Yu to the company or to Avis, so his abrupt dismissal was surprising.

As it turns out, on Wednesday morning after dropping my dad at work, Mr. Yu asked if he could head into Wuxi to take the car to get washed. Of course, the answer was yes, since a car wash is just normal up-keep. But apparently Mr. Yu had not just been taking the car to get washed. He somehow got looped into or brokered a deal that would take mildly used parts from our car and replace them with heavily used parts. The nicer parts from our car would then be sold, and Mr. Yu plus the middleman at the car wash would split the profit. Mr. Yu – who previously expressed contempt for his boss at Avis – would then head back and report that something sounded odd or a light came on in the panel etc. Then Avis would pay big bucks to get a new alternator, transmission or whatever replaced. Apparently yesterday was not the first parts-swapping trip Mr. Yu had made…but they finally caught him in the act yesterday. A sting operation, Wuxi Five-0/Hawaii Five-0 style.

The part swapping business must have been profitable because we did notice that our driver was spending a bit more than his 2700RMB/month ($415USD/month) allowed for. Granted, Mr. Yu does still live at home (as all unmarried Chinese do), but he took his girlfriend on a trip to China’s Hawaii (Hainan island) and bought himself a new iPhone. Airfare for the trip alone would have roughly been two months’ salary for the both of them; and a new iPhone over here would ring in at the equivalent of another month of salary. There were also several instances these past few months when our car was taken in for extensive repair work. Weird stuff, that is for sure, but clearly dishonesty never pays off. It will be interesting to see/hear if Avis takes this to court or just fires him.

The story ends with a new driver, Mr. Lu, and our car being sent in today to be thoroughly checked over for any other bad parts.

Shanghai Circus

2011-07-27T08:58:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I wonder if there isn’t a target somewhere on me. Or perhaps one of those flashing LED signs with arrows pointing at me everywhere I go. People just know to gravitate towards me and either just start talking in hopes that I will understand or they just stare incessantly. I will admit that at times, it can be a bit annoying, but for the most part it is just another part of life in China. In other words, I’m used to not having a personal bubble or sense of privacy over here.

That being said, my trip on Tuesday to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) in Shanghai was quite a circus. Literally. Oftentimes in China things are an organized chaos, and the UK Border Agency office was no exception. We left with our driver at 7:15am and barely squeaked in for my 9:45am appointment (there’s another story there…). I run into the UKBA to find a room bursting with 200+ Chinese nationals and not enough chairs. Go figure. It had looked like they were there to get the application party started at 8am (or earlier) when the UKBA opened. Apparently the appointment option is not given to Chinese nationals when they apply online – a perk only awarded to citizens of “low risk” countries like the USA – so the staff was unsure what to do with me. The solution: print a number for the queue that put me third in line. Everything got taken care of, albeit they had me running from window to window submitting one form after another, and the staff took care of me. If I were unable to speak Chinese, applying for a student visa at the UKBA in Shanghai would have been 5x harder. Everything is written in both Chinese and English but the staff (as Chinese nationals themselves – think outsourcing) questioned me away in English. And when it came to telling me I needed to submit my “biometrics” in Chinese, even I was at a loss for what they were telling me. Yet another one of those language-lightbulb moments ensued when I sat in a chair for pictures and fingerprints and the connection between the Chinese and English words made sense.

The other time I tend to feel like a walking target is at the local markets. I’m talking any kind of market – the grocery store, the outdoor market, the pedestrian streets/night markets…but especially the copy/fake markets. Little men jump out of corners with small index cards advertising copy designer bags, watches etc. And they all say the same thing: “Lady want watches, bags, shoes, DVDs?” or “Lady, Look-a Look-a!” Sometimes I’ll make a few jokes in reply and see if they catch my sense of humor (rarely) but usually throwing an arm up, pushing right by the person, or pretending like one cannot understand English is sufficient.

Markets and bargaining are my cup of tea. My parents always take me along when they need to shop because they know I bargain hard – and I do! Believe it or not, the first lesson I ever learned in Chinese (way back in 2006) was (1) how to ask what something costs and (2) how to bargain. So after my visit to the UKBA, my mom and I decided to hit up a Shanghai copy market and put some of my favorite skills to good use. Throughout China, the government has been trying really hard to cut down on intellectual property violations…but in most markets the little stores will all have “hidden closets” with their fake brand names stashed safely away. This particular market was four stories tall, with 75+ small stores on each floor. They sell everything you could ever want, if you don’t mind a copy. Software for Macs/PCs, purses, clothing, jewelry, you name it. A few hours later, I had a new bag, wallet, one t-shirt and jewelry for just slightly over $20. Definitely one of my better shopping days on the Mainland!

One other thing to share, there is now a fake Steve Jobs in ads selling Taiwanese tea

Wonder if Apple will press charges?

Stay cool amidst the summer heat, everyone! More updates soon.

Xi'an (part two)

2011-07-23T14:59:00.000+01:00

Another week, another update! And photos are up on my Shutterfly account from our Xi’an trip.

I should probably finish where I left off with the remainder of our Xi’an trip – which already feels like so long ago. Life moves at a fast pace per usual! Last summer on our trip to Xi’an, we had the chance to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers and some of the more noteworthy sites in the city. Xi’an has a great Muslim quarter with some most delicious food. With my brother traveling with us last summer, we found all the good local eats and devoured large amounts of 串 (think shish-kebabs, made by Uighurs) and this sweet potato rose-flavored pastry. If you haven’t noticed yet, food is a reoccurring theme not just in my blogs but in the Chinese culture. But we did much more than eat in Xi’an!

Xi’an is hosting the World Horticulture Expo until October, not something that typically makes international news, but something that was actually quite worth seeing. To put things into perspective, China (Shanghai) held the World Expo last year – and built this incredible park in the new area of Shanghai to house the pavilions of countries. So this was the same kind of setup for the World Horticulture Expo. We didn’t think that we would spend all day wandering from garden to garden, especially in the heat, but we did. The center of the Expo was a huge lake – and we actually walked the circumference of it, rather than taking electric cars like the local yocals. Despite the hazy sky, we got some much needed sun. In China, there is no need to ever pay to go to a sauna either.

I really enjoyed the Expo, perhaps in part because I didn’t know what to expect so I walked into the event with very few expectations. There were gardens for every province and/or city in China (including Special Administrative Regions: Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau) plus gardens for other countries. It was like the Missouri Botanical Gardens on steroids. No U.S. garden, sorry to disappoint, but there was a North Korea one! It was a bit ironic that the gardens for other countries were designed and constructed by local landscape architecture firms – the only 100% foreign-made garden was the Swedish one, I think.

Unlike the Shanghai World Expo, which had a fair amount of foreign visitors, we saw one other foreigner the entire day at the Horticulture Expo. Thus, as you can imagine, we were easy targets for photos. I teased my parents that we needed to keep moving in order to avoid being photographed. But I think my parents secretly enjoyed watching me sit for picture after picture with Chinese from the countryside. And it’s not that I had any qualms about taking such photos, besides for the fact that I am probably now all over the Chinese internet in various forms, but it did get a bit repetitive to say the very least.

Our final dinner with our host was at a famous dumplings restaurant in Xi’an. We had the best room in the restaurant, one that overlooked the Drum Tower, or the heart and center of the city. It goes without saying that the food was phenomenal. But I was most impressed by the sheer amount of dumplings that appeared on our table in addition to the 12+ other courses that were ordered. Based on the number of ingredients, there were 300+ total combinations for dumplings at this restaurant. Fortunately we only saw 20 kinds. There were ones that had red/white/green skin (like an Italian flag!), ones shaped like flowers, but my absolute favorite dumpling was the turtle shaped one. Every dumpling had a story and translating got tough but the rate of food appearing on our lazy susan saved me from some language work that evening. We continued our conversations from the previous night and branched out to include more of my favorite (and even more political) topics like Taiwan and Tibet. I think I am finally starting to understand why some of these things are the way they are, specifically from a governmental perspective. If you want to know more about that, shoot me an email :)

I’ve looked back on this Xi’an trip much in the past week and have been continually reminded how fortunate I was to meet such an interesting group of people. I learned much by translating for and talking to them. Rank, wealth, and political affiliation did not matter; a sense of humility and willingness to learn prevailed in the minds of both the Americans and Chinese present. Definitely an experience I will carry with me as I move forward in life!

Xi'an (part one)

2011-07-18T07:52:00.000+01:00

We seem to have a tendency, as Americans, to hear talk of communism and just instantly put up mental blockades. Perhaps it is a quasi-Cold War mindset that has trickled down from our parents, but perhaps we just don’t understand quite what communism is and what it looks like. There are as many members of the Chinese Communist Party as there are people in Canada. It’s a big number, that is for sure, but not one that I think should justify fear. I am definitely not putting myself out there as someone that knows everything about communism and its manifestations in any one given society, but I would say that I am a huge proponent of understanding more about the way other people think, regardless of their political affiliation, religious beliefs and cultural practices. And, like any other trip I’ve taken in China, this past weekend excursion to Xi’an enabled me to do exactly that. I spent a significant amount of time talking to a Chinese political leader about everything from business and politics to shopping and raising a family the American way. I’ve had many good weekends and fruitful experiences since first coming to Asia in 2006, but I would have to put the experiences of my Xi’an trip at the top of the list of important Chinese memories in the sense that the weekend provided some much needed insight on commonly misunderstood topics.

So where to begin, that is the question now! My mom and I flew up to Xi’an on Friday morning to join my dad who was there for business. No need to get into all the business details here, but do know that when a foreign company enters into a joint venture with a Chinese state-owned enterprise, the government is inevitably involved. Business and interpersonal relations (guanxi) are all very good in this one particular instance, and we were very well taken care of during our weekend stay. My mom and I had a car and driver upon arrival and were shuffled to the Shangri-La where my dad was already waiting for us. Nice Western hotels spoil me even more than our nice apartment in Suzhou. They must put something in the central AC system because the whole building smelled wonderful. (This goes to say that a lot of places in China smell less then nice haha). Unlike other trips I have taken in China, I had to do no planning for this one. Every meal and activity was pre-planned – all we had to do was be ready to go at specific times. It definitely relieved me of the tour guide responsibilities I had last summer in Xi’an.

Our first outing on Friday was to the Xi’an city wall. I went there last year as well with my mom and brother, on an equally hot and sunny day. Dating back to the Ming dynasty (1300s) it has definitely withstood the test of time. Our driver said that only one section of it was damaged during the 1960s (Cultural Revolution years) but was ultimately rebuilt at a later date. Xi’an is one of the first cities to implement a wall and grid pattern. Within the city wall, the grid was divided into blocks (each had a name) and the blocks were self-governing units of sorts. If the blocks failed to report to what we would call a “community center,” on taxes, births/deaths etc., everyone within the block would have been punished. There were big gates at certain points along the wall where you could enter or leave the city, however those less fortunate to make it to the gate before the closing drum sounded were forced to sleep (often alongside livestock) overnight in a courtyard. We walked on the wall for a bit – successfully avoiding head-on collisions with bad bicyclists – before heading back down and back to the hotel.

Our host for the weekend picked us up in [one of] his car[s] later that evening and we went to dinner. His car (well, a van actually) was unlike any other car I have ever been in before. Here, if you work for the government, you have a black Audi A6/A8/A8L with blue license plates. The cars that no one likes are the ones that have white license plates, black letters, and red characters to the left side denoting which branch of the military the driver/car belongs to. We had expected an Audi – the host’s typical car – but got a Mercedes Sprinter. Now before you get all disappointed, know that this was a souped up Sprinter. Complete with a privacy screen, flat screen TV, mood lights (or whatever you want to call them), leather recliners, and a whole bunch of knobs that reminded me of an airplane console. This was definitely not a normal Sprinter. There are big cars on the Chinese roads – Hummers and the like – but props to the driver for parking and driving the Sprinter like a true champ.

But I digress… we went to a more touristy local place for dinner. Xi’an, as the heart and center of ancient China and the Silk Road, has got a rich history. It flourished especially during the Tang dynasty and much of what culture (especially the fine arts) remain today can be traced back to the numerous Tang rulers. We ultimately ended up at a dinner theater – Western food followed by Tang dynasty performances. Our host is known wherever he goes by the locals (but not by the foreigners!) and was immediately greeted by restaurant staff as our van literally pulled up to the front door. In the car ride on the way over, I mentioned something in passing to our host about this weekend also being my parents’ anniversary. He was convinced that something special must be done and immediately started to brainstorm with his driver (who also doubles as his bodyguard).

Because I was doing simultaneous translation/interpretation whenever our host was around this weekend, I was extremely engaged in all of our conversations. That’s not to say that I space out and don’t pay attention to people when they talk, but I was catching the really fine nuances in both languages and having to switch them back and forth depending on whether they were meant for the Chinese or English ear. I’m just lucky I was able to consume any of the delicious food that was ordered this weekend – they had me talking/translating that much! In retrospect, it was an honor to be translating/interpreting because it meant there was a sense of trust between our host and myself, such that he felt comfortable giving his usual interpreter the weekend off.

But back to the dinner table. The surprise for my parents soon came to full fruition as I heard our host mention that he saw a waitress carrying a really large knife. At 8:15pm, as previously discussed in Chinese, the lights dimmed, “Ave Maria” started to play and a spotlight hit our table. A cake appears on the table with “Happy Anniversary” written on it and a lotus candle stuck in it that begins to sing “Happy Birthday.” The best part, however, was the knife. It was not the knife that the host and myself had originally seen but a full-blown spear, like a 1ft blade on a 3ft stick. My parents had to cut this circular cake with a Tang-sized spear without taking out the foreign women sitting at the table behind us. Definitely quite the spectacle and even after all this, my parents did not want to disown me!

It goes without saying that the Tang performances were absolutely wonderful. The music was good, costumes were both beautiful and representatives of the time, and everyone had a good time. Our host shuffled us out pretty quickly and we jumped back in our blue van – to talk politics. What a way to end any night. As a political figure, I had an idea of what to expect in talking to our host about anything political or China-related. In no ways are these leaders secluded or oblivious to what is going on in the rest of the world. Our host pays close attention to happenings around the globe, but particularly to US domestic politics. He was eager to talk about our party affiliations and voting histories, especially in light of the upcoming election. Our host mentioned that he saw the parties as being all too similar, if not nearly one and the same. He mentioned that US domestic politics have taken a turn towards preserving the respective parties and longevity of the individual politicians rather than the welfare of the nation and people. China, in his opinion, has not lost sight of its priorities and the welfare of society/Chinese people remain at the top of the list. We also talked about the 2012 elections and the various candidates at present. Our host, I kid not, laughed at the notion of a Mormon being president; yet at the same time, he acknowledged that the US is probably the only country where an individual like Obama could be elected to the presidency. Probably what stuck most with me from Friday night was his comment on how both the US and China still have much to learn from one another. China, he said, needs a legal system like the US. But the US could use to be stricter about some things (ie petty crime and drugs) like over here.

Obviously there is room for disagreement, but I was really impressed by how open this individual was with me and my parents despite the language/cultural/political differences that exist. There still remains much to say about this past weekend, so look for more updates (including photos) soon. :)

Pictures on Shutterfly

2011-07-14T08:05:00.000+01:00

I may be jumping the firewall to access Blogspot, but it has been rather pleasant to take a break from Facebook. Thus I will not be posting any photos (or updating much, for that matter) in that realm of the internet until my return to the States in late August.

I will try to remember to add links within my posts for photos when there are new ones up. Tongli photos went live this morning and can be viewed by pointing your cursor here :)

Tongli daytrip

2011-07-13T15:05:00.000+01:00

Alright, so I’m playing a bit of catch up from the last weekend with this entry, but better late than not at all. On Saturday, my parents and I went to Tongli, a water town on the outskirts of town. Suzhou is known as the “Venice of the East,” but I would argue that it is these smaller water towns (like Tongli) that really bringing this nickname to life. Not only were there canals and nifty alleys to wander in and out of all day, but we also saw plenty of architecture left over from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Bridges served as the vital links between different parts of town, apparently there were 49 stone bridges in Tongli alone. I’m sure we only saw just a sampling of the bridges! The other spots open to visitors in Tongli are the residential homes, homes that Chinese literati once lived in. The houses, all nestled up along the canals (some had their own private canals), were decked out with flying eaves, carved windows, gardens etc. in the typical Chinese style. Amidst all the homes, we found another UNESCO World Heritage garden, one of nine in the Suzhou area. Tuisi Garden (退思园) dates back to the late 1800s (so it’s really not all that “new”) and was named after a famous Chinese biography, the Zuo Zhuan (左传). Like the gardens I visited in the area last summer, Tuisi follows the typical pattern of Chinese gardens – it has both a residential area (reception hall + dwelling) and a garden area (complete with pond, pavilions and numerous halls.

Overall, it was a pretty low key visit to Tongli. My parents swore that it is usually a hopping tourist destination, but we didn’t actually have too many local (or foreign) tourists to deal with. Perhaps it was the heat that drove many away last weekend??

The work week has been going by quickly – interviews with some local business owners and the Suzhou Industrial Park Advisory Committee (SIPAC) representatives for my research. Just a bit more work to finish up tomorrow, a night of English classes and then I’m out to Xi'an for the weekend.