VIP has landed in Beijing!

Soooo, who might this VIP person be? Yao Ming?? Jackie Chan? Justin Bieber?!  Nope! None of the above.  I am happy to say my sister Kristin has finally joined me in Beijing!  She will be staying with me from now until we leave together to head back to the states on January 20th.  She just got here on the 28th but we've done a lot already! (especially the eating part haha)  And she brought two whole loaves of delicious banana bread!!! (THANK YOU MOM <3)  I was sooo happy.  I'm already halfway through the second loaf and Kristin has only been here two days lol.  Well anyways, I have a lot of fun things planned for her like the Great Wall, Nanluoguxiang, and the Forbidden city just to name a few and an even longer food list ;)  Since Kristin is here... I thought it might be interesting to have her perspective on China so far.  So on that note, my guest blogger today will be Kristin! Take it away sis :)

Well, this is weird I've never been on a blog before. Hmm well first thoughts when I saw Beijing was that there was a lot of fog, but then realized it was all pollution...oops. It's a little dirtier then I had originally expected and I'm definitely not a fan of the squatting toilet. Ew. Otherwise, it has definitely been an experience so far. I go to bed every night fully stuffed by all the amazing food here. I had actual bubble tea for the first time last night and that was freakin amazing, so I'm probably going to have a few more of those :p I should just start keeping track. We went to the silk market yesterday and I realized that Jennifer is a boss at bargaining. She literally dropped the price down from 380 to 65 RMB on a wallet I wanted. Now, how long will that wallet last me who knows, but it's so cute! Then today we went to a cafe that had some amazing cakes and some really comfy chairs as well :) I've done so many things in only two days, which makes me even more excited for all the other things that we are going to do here! Also a very off, side note: I saw multiple asians wearing platform shoes! All I can say is sign me up!

Ho Ho Ho! Merrrry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!! from China everyone!  It's my first time being away from home for the holidays =/  Annddd, I had a final today... oh, China. While I've loved my semester abroad, it's during this time that I've had the hardest time being away from family and friends.  BUT!  I'm so grateful that I have found some great friends here to spend my holidays with. =) I've been able to do Secret Santa, make Christmas cookies, watch Home Alone, and have a nice Christmas dinner!

In the spirit of Christmas, a couple friends and I decided to make Christmas cookies!  How can we make cookies if we don't have an oven you may ask?? Well, a microwave of course! :P  So we got all the ingredients for making cookies... and was kind of successful!  They were somewhat soft right after microwaving, but they turned hard really fast afterwards.  Nonetheless, it still made me very happy to at least a little "baking."  And we watched Home Alone!  Definitely not a real Christmas unless we watch that movie.

The ingredients

Mix, mix, mix

Final product

For Christmas day, my friends and I went to a really nice restaurant called Vineyard Cafe for dinner.  They had reallllly delicious food!  While I've gotten used to eating Chinese food every day, it was nice getting to go somewhere and eat tasty not Chinese food haha.  I got a vegetable pesto dish.  SO YUMMYYY.  I've been craving pesto for a while too.  

It was nice to take a break from all the tests and studying and enjoy some good quality time with friends.  Very much needed =)  Sadly, I still have a final tomorrow, so back to studying for me! To all of you back home... I MISS YOU and I wish you a very Merry Christmas! =)

Bringing the Christmas cheer to Beijing

Can you guys believe it's already December??  Time just keeps on flying by.  It is getting prettttyy cold in Beijing now.  My friends and I went out this past Saturday and we were outside all day walking around Beijing.  I have never been so cold in Beijing as I was that day.  It was a mix of not wearing enough and also that the events we went to were outside.  But more on that later...

Out of all the holidays, Christmas is by far my favorite.  Something about the feeling in the air with all the Christmas songs, the Christmas spirit, the snow... I love it!  Except, all of that is almost non-existent here in Beijing.  I saw a bit of Christmas stuff in Shanghai, but Christmas is definitely not a big thing in Beijing.  My friends and I decided to change that!  We ordered a Christmas tree and ornaments online from a Chinese website called Taobao and set it up in the dorm while singing along to Christmas music of course.  It put me in the mood to watch Home Alone haha.  I love that movie!

Pre-decoration

Decoration in progress

Final product =D

This past Saturday, my friend Crystal also found some Christmas related celebrations happening around Beijing so we went around Beijing to check them out.  The first stop was the German embassy.  They had set up multiple booths outside the embassy that sold different types of holiday food and drinks and also small holiday trinkets.  It was pretty cool getting to see how a different country celebrates Christmas.  Lots of sausage type things, wine, cider, and yummy looking pastries!

Outside the German embassy

The pastries! yummy!

Tons of people inside avoiding the cold outside

After the German embassy, we made our way to the Hilton hotel near Sanlitun because we heard they had a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.  When we first got here it seemed a little dead, but after a while a lot of people started showing up and they had a mini show.  They had set up a hugeeee Christmas tree in the lobby area that they lit up at the end of the show.  They also handed out free hot chocolate, mulled wine, and Christmas cookies! My friends and I definitely took advantage of those haha.  Being there was definitely the most Christmasy feeling I've had so far in Beijing, and it made me really happy =)

Enjoying our hot cocoa and wine

The tree lit up at the end of the ceremony

So, back in the states, I never really ordered in as food was always pretty close to my apartment and delivery fees are annoying.  However, in China that is not the case! My friends and I have been going through an ordering in craze lately =P  It's nice especially if we're sick of the dorm food and it's too cold to go out and get something off campus.  It's not too expensive either and delivery is free over a certain price, which is a nice plus.  Most of the stuff I've ordered in has been delicious as well!

Fried chicken set from a Korean restaurant

Delicious Katsudon

Thanksgiving: Asian style

As I mentioned in my previous post, instead of going to eat turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie and whatnot, some friends and I went for unlimited Teppanyaki!  It was quite a splurge for a meal, especially by China standards.  However, unlimited Teppanyaki and drinks for 198rmb (~$30) was totally worth it.  I probably ate more meat that night than I have any other time while I've been in China.  It was a complete meatfest! haha It was my first time ever experiencing it and I will definitely be doing it more often in the future!  It was delicious =)  And as promised... the pictures!

The grill where all the yumminess happens

Tasty sake

This was the first of quite a few rounds of meat

Perfect way to end the meal: Fried banana + ice cream

Happy Turkey Day from China!

Who would have guessed, but Thanksgiving isn't a big holiday in China?? :P The whole Thanksgiving/ Christmas season seems to be lost on the Chinese people as I assume they make a bigger fuss about the Chinese New Year in January instead.  There haven't been too many Christmas decorations or music around here in Beijing, so yesterday when I was studying in a coffee shop and heard Christmas music for the first time, I was sooo happy!  The people around me probably thought I was crazy from how much I was smiling and bobbing my head to the music.  Even though I'm all the way in China, I'm definitely thinking about Thanksgiving and the people back at home and I thought this would be a good way to say what I'm thankful for this year =)

1) My time in China: I was excited yet nervous about coming here and meeting new people and the new environment.  While it took awhile to adjust, I have come to love Beijing and this semester has been amazing! I've gotten to see and do things that would only have been possible since I came here like the Great Wall, the Terra Cotta warriors, experiencing the culture... I would never trade it for anything.

2) The people I've met here:  I've gotten to meet sooo many different people all from different countries and backgrounds.  It has been really fun experiencing China with each other and learning about each others cultures.  Annddddd, now I always have a contact person whenever I want to go visit all the countries where they're from! ;)

3) Family and friends back home:  It has been hard being away from everyone for so long. But every time I talk to them, they're always so supportive and reminding me to have as much fun as possible while I'm here!  I always end my conversations with everyone smiling and in a good mood.  I love you guys!

4) How lucky I am to live in America:  Especially after being here and talking to people, sooo many people want to come to America but can't whether it be money issues, visa issues, etc.  I'm lucky that I was born in America, or I'd probably be in the same situation.  I have so many "luxuries" in America that aren't as available in other countries like clean bathrooms, free drinking water, plentiful job options, clean air, a car, unlimited hot shower hours... things I definitely won't take for granted when I get back.

5) A kitchen/ oven/peanut butter/banana bread:  While I've been in China, it's been pretty hard to find healthy options to eat.  I've mentioned before how many things are pretty oily and salty.  I'm missing the numerous healthier options back in the US! Like whole wheat bread, greek yogurt, fruits... binging on all those when I get back =P  Anddd, my love of baking has been put on hold as there is no access to an oven at all here.  Going to be baking like crazy when I get back so be ready for some baked goods when I get back, everyone!

I'm sure there are some things that I'm missing, but these are the big ones I could think of right now.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, instead of having Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and that whole shebang, some friends and I are going to do unlimited Teppanyaki!! Mmmmmmm.  I've never done Teppanyaki so I can't wait! I'll make sure to post pictures after =D

Hope everyone is enjoying Thanksgiving at home!  Love and miss you all! <3

Escape from Beijing - Shanghai

I have always said that I really like to travel, and now I get to check another place off my list.  I have just returned from my 3 day trip to Shanghai!  I went with three other friends of mine from Tsinghua.  While most people take the high speed train to Shanghai, we ended up taking a flight because it was surprisingly cheaper at 927rmb vs. 1100 rmb (~$150 vs. $180).  However, in retrospect it might have been better to take the train.  We got cheaper tickets because we flew a lesser known airline so the service was a bit slower and whatnot.  But $30 saved is still good, right? =)  Just as a warning, I forgot my camera on the trip this time :(((  So all my pictures are from my phone and they aren't the greatest quality... you'll get the idea haha.

Shanghai is known as the big financial city in China.  It's known as a good shopping place (but expensiveeee compared to elsewhere), a good place to go out, and as an area that is one of the more international/modern cities in China (ex: skyscrapers, TONS of expats).  Being in Shanghai, I saw much more non-Asian people (expats) than I ever have in China.  It definitely gave the city a different feel.  One thing that I found a little odd was that even though there were many expats in Shanghai, the expats I saw weren't necessarily integrated into the Asian society.  Many times the expats I saw together were of the same race versus groups of expats and asians together.  Just something I noticed.

One of many shopping areas

A reallllly pretty park in Shanghai.  We don't see these ever in Beijing :(

skyscrapers

More shopping!

Of course, since we were in the financial city of China, there were a lot of skyscrapers!  My friends and I got to go up the Jin Mao tower which is the second highest building in mainland China.  The building has 88 floors and we got to go all the way to the 87th floor.  It took us 3 different elevators to get us all the way up!  My ears popped a crazy amount of times haha.  The Hyatt owns the top 30 floors of the Jin Mao tower and on the 87th floor they have a restaurant/ bar.  My friends and I enjoyed a glass of wine and the nice view =)

Jin Mao tower

Drinking wine is so much classier on the 87th floor ;)

Going out in Shanghai was really different from Beijing as well.  We went to two different club/bars.  The first one was called M1NT and it's known for having sharks!  Except I was really disappointed when I saw the sharks :(  For some reason, I was picturing a huge shark tank in the middle of the dance floor with a really big shark inside :P Instead, they had mini 1-2ft long sharks in a separate hallway leading up to the dance floor.  Sigh... not the same.  My expectations were too high haha.  The second one we went to was called M2.  Surprisingly, I didn't like going out as much in Shanghai.  The crowd in Shanghai is a lot older, I'd guess average age in the 30s, which made it feel a little weird clubbing with people who were that much older.  I also felt like the music just wasn't as good as Beijing has.  I was surprised because I had heard so many people say Shanghai was the best city to go out in China. 

Overall, I liked the feel of Shanghai better than Beijing.  The city actually had parks! and trees! and omg no squatting toilets!  The things you come to appreciate once you come to China.  Unless I was in a traditional area in Shanghai, it definitely felt more like any other big city like Chicago.  One area called The Bund I swear was almost a replica of Michigan Ave. in Chicago.  We went during the day and then at night because we had heard it was worth it to see it at both times.  They looked sooo different from each other, and I would say much prettier at night with all the lights lit up!  

The Bund: Day view

The Bund: Night view

Even though I liked the city of Shanghai, I was excited to come back to Beijing. Beijing feels like home now and I was actually excited to come back to Tsinghua!  Even though it took some adjusting in the first month or so, I've really started to like this city and I will be really sad when I have to leave.

One thing that does make me a little sad being here is how little attention the whole Christmas season gets here.  Back in the states, you can tell Christmas is coming all around you after Oct. 31st.  Not so in China :/  I love the time leading up to the Christmas season.  All the music, the decorations, the foooood... so whenever I see any little Christmas related things in China it makes me happy.  While Beijing really doesn't have anything, Shanghai did!!  Maybe it's more because it's such an international city?  Either way, it made me =)

Starbucks holiday cups!

Harbin (Part 2)

Harbin surprisingly turned out to be quite a large city.  When I first heard of Harbin and how they were famous for their ice sculptures, I thought it would be a small town but it definitely isn’t.  People in Harbin also like to shop A LOT.  There are department stores all over the place.  Each one seems to be just a little different from each other and tries to reach a different target market.  If I ever lived in Harbin, I would have a problem because I would want to go shopping all the time.

Shopping area

Another department store

On my third day in Harbin, a friend of my aunt and uncle’s took us all around Harbin to see different sights.  We got to go to a sculpture museum, Sun island, and a Russian village.  The sculpture museum was really interesting.  It was opened by an artist who was never formally trained in an arts school and he doesn’t sell any of his work.  All his art was really well done though.  In the museum, I saw pictures of what the ice sculpture festival looks like during winter and Harbin and I can definitely see why it is such a big attraction.  The pictures looked gorgeous and the ice sculptures were gigantic.  I am planning on coming back in the winter to see it for sure!  Sun island was a really nice park to walk around and it even had a mini ice sculpture building where you could walk inside and they have ice carvings year round.  It isn’t even close to as good as what you’d probably see during the winter, but it’s not a bad alternative other times of the year.  Finally, the Russian village.  My aunt told me the Russian population is actually quite large in Harbin because Russia is so close to Harbin.  So when walking around Harbin, it’s very common to see a lot of Russian architecture and restaurants.  The Russian village wasn’t toooo exciting but it was still interesting seeing the different buildings and whatnot.  They also played Russian music all over the place, which I’ll just say was… different :P  

Pictures of what the ice festival looks like during winter

Sun Island

Indoor ice sculptures

Russian Village souvenir store

While I was in Harbin I finally got to try a jian bing!  I mentioned them in my post before.  Except the one I tried was a little different.  Apparently there are a whole bunch of different ways to make the bing (the dough part of the jian bing).  The one I had used a prepared dough versus the pancake like batter I’ve seen before.  They grilled the dough and I had egg, ham, lettuce, and a spicy sauce in mine.  In the end, it was just ehhh.  It didn’t really have that strong of a flavor and was actually pretty oily (like a lot of food is in China).  I still want to try the other types of jian bing though so I’ll let you know what the other ones are like.  

I really enjoyed my time in Harbin and getting to visit my aunt and uncle.  It had been about three years since I had last seen them and it was when they were still in Taiwan. Having them there to show me around while I was in Harbin was really great too.  I would have been very lost otherwise :P  I flew back into Beijing this morning and landed around 10am and took my finance midterm at 1:30pm. It was a pretty quick turnaround haha.  But I think I did better on this midterm than my previous one, so I am a happy camper.  Harbin was great, but being back in Beijing is nice.  It is definitely starting to feel like home :)  I can’t believe half a semester has gone by already!

Being here in China, an interesting thing I've learned is how they view "fast food" differently.  Here KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut are fancy places.  While I was in Harbin, my aunt and uncle took me to KFC and said it was a "nicer" place for college students to go because food at KFC is pricey compared to what they can find in the canteens on campus or even compared to street food/ restaurants.  Also, when we went around Harbin with my aunt and uncle's friend, he took us to McDonalds and said it was because it was one of the very best places to eat.  It's just interesting seeing how differently these chain restaurants are viewed differently here and how the type of people who eat here are very different from what you'd see in the US.  

KFC: Sorry the pic makes it hard to see the menu

A chicken wrap that was interesting because they had strips of fried chicken, with the sweet sauce served with duck, sweet mayonaise, and lettuce.  Tasty, but interesting

McDonald's menu board.  They even have bubble tea!

Not apple pie but taro pie!  It was a disappointment though.  Apple pie is definitely better.

Harbin (Part 1)

*While I was in Harbin, it was really hard to get connected to the internet so I wasn't able to update my blog while I was there.  I did however write up posts for my blog so this is my first of two.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many places while I’ve been here in China, and now I get to add Harbin to the list!  My Aunt and Uncle (Jo Jo and Jo Ma) live in Harbin and I’ve wanted to visit them for a long time.  They lived in Taiwan before and when I visited them there, I had a great time and was always fed extremely well (as can be expected when visiting relatives… they nonstop feed you haha). I get to visit them from Wednesday to Monday.  

Harbin is a famous city to the north of Beijing that’s known for its ice sculptures during the winter starting around mid-December.  Sculptors from all over China come to Harbin to carve different ice sculptures and the streets are lined with different ice creations during the winter.  I didn’t get to see any on my trip to Harbin this time, but I plan to come back at least once more in the winter so hopefully I can see them then.   

My Uncle is a visiting professor of Urban Design at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT).  So I had the chance to visit the dorms that visiting professors get to stay in.  They’re pretty nice and spacious as you can see by the pics below.  It was interesting staying at the HIT campus because it was very similar to Tsinghua University in some aspects and a little different in others.  The canteens are all the same, a lot of people needing to be fed in a short amount of time.  There was plentiful food for reallllly cheap, exactly like in Tsinghua.  They also have a main supermarket here on campus for the students to use that is much cheaper than outside prices and my aunt even told me local residents from outside of campus will come and shop here for the cheaper goods.

My room while I stayed with my Uncle and Aunt

Student supermarket

Breakfast food at the canteen all for around 10RMB (< $2)

The weather in Harbin is much colder than in Beijing.  They’ve already had their first snowfall!  They have highs around the upper 20s.  Especially since I dislike the cold, I am very happy that I brought my thick winter jacket with me to Harbin.  However, talking to the other students at HIT, this type of weather is warm to them.  It gets much colder in December and January.  The weather here seems to be comparable to what we’d get in MN and maybe even colder.

I’ve been able to talk with a lot of the Masters and PhD students at HIT because my Uncle is a professor and I’ve been able to go to his office and meet his students.  It’s an interesting experience interacting with them.  Many have been learning English since they were young, but they are too afraid/nervous/shy to actually practice with me.  I spoke with one of the students named Wutong and she said it was because she has been learning English a long time, but has the most practice in written English.  Her speaking is much poorer and so she doesn’t feel as comfortable speaking English with me.  It’s interesting hearing that because many students I’ve talked to at Tsinghua who are in China to study only Chinese have said the same thing, except about Chinese.  One thing I’ve really liked about being in Harbin is how much I’ve been able to practice my Chinese.  Because my aunt and uncle don’t know English as well, and many students are more comfortable speaking Chinese, I’ve probably spoken more Chinese in these past couple days than I have in my two months in China!  Being here has really forced me to use it more, and I like it! =)

Wutong and I eating ice cream at Haagen Dazs

Of course, I have been eating sooooo much while I’ve been here.  I’ve been able to try some new things too!  I tried the fruit on a stick covered in glaze (pretty tasty!), pig liver (very chalky texture and odd flavor… not too big a fan), asian pears in red wine (nummy!), lots of different types of mushrooms (I used to hate eating mushrooms and they’re slowly growing on me), and hot pot (first time trying it in China… and it was apparently the Taiwanese version of hot pot haha).  It’s also my uncle’s birthday on Sunday, so his students surprised him with a cake on Friday! And the school gave him another cake!  The food never stops coming and I’ve only been here two days.  I’ll report back with more of my trip and food adventures (and pictures!) soon =)

Asian pears in red wine

Pig intestines, liver, stomach... everything

Pigs blood (I didn't have the guts to try this one)

Hot pot

A drink that tasted like sourdough bread! It was pretty yummy too

Happy Birthday Jo Jo! :)