社会调查报告

Part of the Harvard Beijing Academy is attending a week-long social study of one of many places (see a previous post for a more detailed explanation), and then writing a report on our findings. A week after wrapping up my social study in Inner Mongolia, my 社会调查报告 shehui diaocha baogao (social study report - see title) is finally complete. While I know the language is still relatively simple, especially for a college student, I'm still really proud to look back and see what I've accomplished in five weeks.

Even though most people who read this blog won't be able to read my report, I've decided to post it below, both for posterity and for the random Light Fellowship kid who browses these blogs.

Defying Gravity

The day after we got back from Inner Mongolia was not as restful as I thought it was going to be, but I'm not complaining. HBA had organized an excursion for us to go see the famed Chinese acrobats at Chaoyang Theater. It was a great chance to catch up with the rest of our 同学们 tongxuemen (fellow students), as this was the first chance we had to discuss our experiences together. Through talking with my friends I learned that HBA students had the opportunity to do all of the following:

• Learn 功夫 gongfu (KENG FU!!) from actual 功夫师傅 gongfu shifu (keng fu masters) at Shaolin Monastary.
• Watch Russians practice their mindreading skills at said Monastary, which consisted of them staring at each other all day.
• Get VIP trips through the USA Pavilion and the Russia Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
• Hang out at Nanjing Road, Shanghai's version of Times Square, almost every night, and see Shanghai's skyline from the deck of a cruise boat.
• Develop connections with some of Beijing's most wealthy and successful businessmen.
• Meet the locals of a small Chinese village and live their lives for a few days.
• Attend school with the local children of said village, learn that Chinese children must attend morality class.
• ... and then there's my seven-blogs' worth of stuff in Inner Mongolia :)

But I digress. This entry is all about the acrobats.

Worse Prisons than Words

As I continue to study for my midterm, I become increasingly frustrated with the fact that my only time to go out into Beijing and experience the culture comes on the weekends. Every day, I'm trapped in my little room studying, studying, studying. It's such a confining feeling.

At Yale, I'd normally go to Starbucks, a library, or some other interesting location where there are people around, but 北语, our university, doesn't have many nearby 咖啡馆 kafeiguan (cafés). The closest ones are at Wudaokou, which is a 15 minute walk at the very least, and require the purchase of relatively expensive drinks.

It's more than just location, though. I'm trapped by the limitations on my time: time to prepare for class, time to explore the far-flung corners of Beijing, time to see the people I want to see. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I've been putting too much stock into trying to get an A, and not enough in just seeing Beijing. The Light Fellowship staff made a point to tell us that the Light Fellowship experience is not just about coming back to Yale with the grammatical precision of Confucius, but to understand the culture behind the language as well.

I have my big weekly test tomorrow. I haven't yet memorized my passage for the spoken part of the test, I didn't study Tuesday's characters very well (or at all), and I still have to meet with my Chinese friend this evening.

So I think I'm going to go for a walk... maybe to Wudaokou... to buy a Rubik's cube.

I'm so productive.

A Symphony in Two Keys

Tired of my excessive writing? Me too. 

So here are some photos that I took of the 

lilies outside of my classroom building. 

Happy Birthday 美国！

One: I finally have internet in my room again, which is a serious cause for celebration. I spent the weekend at different cafés buying things like 5 kuai bread rolls then spending three hours eating them.

Two: After returning to Beijing from 内蒙古 Nei Menggu (Inner Mongolia) and updating my blog about all the craziness there, I realized I had completely neglected only one of my best days in Beijing!

The Sunday before midterm week and my subsequent trip to 内蒙古, some HBA friends and I endured an hour-long subway ride to find the miraculous Tim's Texas BBQ. Why, you may ask? While there never really needs to be a reason to eat Texas BBQ, we were actually celebrating the Fourth of July. It was a shot in the dark, as none of us had been to this restaurant, but it was better than nothing.

And as far as shots in the dark go, this one was amazingly on target.  When we got there and saw the wonderful things they had on their menu, some of us (myself included) actually teared up a little. I'm not even kidding. After our difficult weeks of trying to assimilate to Chinese culture, it was literally an incredible blessing to be able to order food that reminded us of home. Now, if someone had told me before I went to China that a menu would bring me to tears, I seriously wouldn't have believed them. But I really underestimated the hardship of spending weeks in a completely unfamiliar environment. I mean, just seeing the words "Tex-Mex" and "pulled pork sandwich" on a menu actually made me tear up!

内蒙古: Partying

Friday, 2:00 PM, on the bus to Beijing

It’s been an interesting 24 hours. After finishing our game of Spades, I left Natalee and Florence’s room and crashed until 6:30 the next morning, when I headed down to the 5^th floor for a Chinese-style breakfast buffet. Most of it was pretty gross, to my tastes. I don’t understand the Chinese tendency of pickling food, I really don’t. I also don’t get their preference for hot drinks. It’s not bad, but it just doesn’t taste satisfying. I had to ask the waiter for ice water. He thought it was a really strange request, but went to the kitchen to fulfill it anyway. He came back with a giant bowl filled with water and a few flecks of ice… I didn’t know if I was supposed to drink it or wash my hands in it.

内蒙古: Playing

Wednesday, 2:50 PM, on the bus

I learned how to solve a Rubik’s cube!! I’ve wanted to learn since I was little, but I never got around to it. I’m having issues with the final side of the cube, but I’ll get there!

I’m a hot, sandy mess. We’re on our way to Huhhot right now from the desert playground thing.

内蒙古: Learning

Tuesday, 5:20 PM, on the bus

Wow. Right before we arrived at Genghis Khan’s mausoleum, I finished the most extraordinary book called The Shadow of the Wind. It was incredible. I can’t describe exactly why, but I know it’s been some time since a book made me feel this way. I feel like, ever since high school, I stopped making time just to read good books, and I let the world of literature slip away. I now feel like a careless friend, one who neglected one of her greatest childhood companions. Yes, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with China… oh well. That book, as one critic describes, is truly a “love letter to literature,” a tribute to literature. It’s obviously got my mind all worked up. It made me think about things like destiny, aging, and true love, and it gave me a connection to old España, confused and scarred España. I wish my Spanish was good enough to read and appreciate this book in its original language. I tried, but it was so difficult. Add in the complicated plot and absurdly decorative language, and I had no hope of getting through the original as it was written by Zafón. Someday. Just like someday I’ll read Harry Potter in Chinese. I will, you know.

Anyway, China.

内蒙古: Complaining

Monday, 10:06 PM, in bed @ Westlake Hotel

All I did today was ride in a bus. Like that’s actually all I did. Aside from a two hour period around noon where I helped interview two families, I honestly just sat in my seat on the bus. It was a long day. Unfortunately, I had the bad luck of being on the sunny side, in the morning AND afternoon! How does that work? Add to that our winding path through the hills and bumpy trek through dirt roads, and you have a very uncomfortable experience. Don’t forget that I haven’t showered in three days and haven’t had a full nutritional meal in… forever (or at least that’s what it feels like).

Our interview location:

内蒙古: Adjusting

Monday, 8:30 AM, on the bus

Overall, I have to say I’m glad I’m doing this trip, and I’m happy to have the experience under my belt, but I don’t think I’d ever sign up to do it again. The reward so far hasn’t been worth the discomfort. Additionally, I feel like this trip was not well-planned. We have too much “do nothing” time. Yesterday, we had hours of “do nothing” time, punctuated by an unexciting horse ride and a bland dinner.

I’m frustrated, I miss home. I almost think the 4-day Chinese village (another research trip possibility) would have been preferable given the free time I would have had in Beijing.

The one thing that makes this trip really worth it so far is the scenery. It’s so much like Texas in composition and Nebraska in form. The scrubby grass, the low undulating hills as far as you can see, and the stars… the stars are home. I keep forgetting how awe-inspiring they are. It’s no wonder someone thought to name our galaxy the Milky Way. It really looks like there’s a milky rainbow stretched across the sky.

内蒙古: Feasting

NOTE: This post has pictures of a sheep being slaughtered. If you don't want to see it, reading the rest of this post is probably not a good idea.


Sunday, 8:30 AM, on the bus

So many mixed reactions to the past 24 hours.

An outline:
-arrive at the middle of nowhere, realize that we will be spending the night here

-subsequently realize the "bathroom" bears absolutely no resemblance to anything any of us are used to Note: the second picture is pretty gross, especially once you realize what that little mountain visible through the hole is made of

内蒙古: Trekking

After an eventful and incredible week on the steppes of Inner Mongolia, I've finally made it back to Beijing to write about my adventures. Now, when I say "write," I'm technically referring to the 800 character report that I'm supposed to compose about my investigation into the Mongolian culture, as it's due Monday morning, but what's the fun in starting early on an assignment? So first, I will catalogue my adventures as I recorded them in my little notebook.

Part laziness and part time shortage keep me from writing as thoroughly as I'd like, so all I'm really going to do is transcribe my observations from my book to my blog, punctuated by a few (very illustrative) pictures. I'll also be adding in my final thoughts in italics from time to time.

Friday, 6:50 PM, on the bus

Chinese highways aren't big into roadside towns or fast food outlets. Instead, there is the occasional joint gas station-convenience store-bathroom that pops up with much less frequency than in the US. It was at one of these stops that our group first experienced the startled glances and unabashed staring that would follow us through the rest of the week. I guess a bus-load of Westerners speaking Chinese is unusual in Inner Mongolia.  I fell asleep for about "half the trip" (or so I thought) when we were still in foggy and mountainous terrain.

The Original Huhot Mongolian Grill... Seriously

One of my favorite aspects of HBA is the 社会调查 shehui diaocha, or "societal investigation." While HBA offers a variety of "research opportunities," such as experiencing the cosmopolitan life in Shanghai, the true Karate Kid's life at Shaolin Temple (kung fu teachings -by monks!- included), and the rural life of a small village, I chose to go to Inner Mongolia.

You might not believe it, but going to Inner Mongolia actually hits home a little bit for me. As certain friends and family members know, my favorite restaurant back in Kearney, Nebraska, is, strangely enough, the Mongolian Grill. So naturally, when this opportunity arose, I had to seize it. I really had no choice. After all, how many people can say they've actually been to a Mongolian grill in Huhot?

Alright, I suppose there was also a little bit of academic interest...

The Magic Erhu

No matter how I try, I will never do justice to the experience of a Beijing Opera performance with mere words. So I've employed a little AV assistance to try to recreate it as much as possible.

First, a disclaimer. Before watching the videos, I highly suggest putting on earphones if you're in public, or turning the volume down a bit if you're in the privacy of... somewhere private. Beijing Opera is not exactly known for being quiet.

Now, for the performance itself. We actually ended up going to Liyuan Theater, the same theater that I attended with my mom, so I was already pretty familiar with what was going to happen.

讨价还价ing Like It's My Job

Even though I already went to the 秀水街 Xiushuijie (Silk Market) with my mom a few weeks ago, I just couldn't seem to stay away. It's just so enthralling... the shops, the sounds, the silk! We're talking about six stories of rows and rows of stalls, selling 各种各样 gezhonggeyang (all kinds) of products, almost all of which were fakes. If I didn't believe China's reputation for being able to fake anything before coming here, I believe it now. Working my way from the top floor down, I had the opportunity to buy knock-off:

...pearls, Tumi luggage, jade jewelery, the entire Apple family (including the iPhone 4), Rolexes, Tiffany's jewelry, designer headbands, Chinese antiques, silk artwork, "designer" clothing (Abercrombie, Burberry, Ed Hardy, Juicy Couture, Polo Ralph Lauren, True Religion), "designer" handbags (Burberry, Chanel, Coach, Gucci, LeSportSac, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, Prada, among others), Nikes, Converses, and Uggs, not to mention the pirated movies and many TV seasons available...

HBA vs PiB

For those of you who don't know, I am studying Chinese in China this summer through the generosity of the Light Fellowship, which is a Yale-based fund created by Richard U. Light to encourage Yale students to study East Asian languages (a properly grateful post on the subject is upcoming). In the area of Chinese, the Light Fellowship only funds a select few programs in mainland China, with the most popular being the Harvard Beijing Academy, Princeton in Beijing, and Duke Study in China. Every year, come Light Fellowship-time, students have to pick their poison, and the debate is renewed on which program is "the best."
 
I mention this because the subject took up a large percentage of my conversation with Binh and her PiB friend on our evening out. After hitting up the zoo, we caught a cab to the 后海 Houhai area, so named after the lake which is its central feature. It's easily one of the most visually gratifying hot spots in Beijing, with brightly lit clubs and beautiful greenery surrounding the lake. We (Binh, her friend, my friend and I) actually ducked down a little alleyway only to find Hutong Pizza, the place where my mom and I had eaten three weeks back. After Binh approved the atmosphere, we settled down to a delicious meal, and some fun conversation (much of which ended up being centered on one Kaitlyn Newell... don't know how it happened). It was also discovered that my HBA friend Claire is a serious Settlers of Catan player, something she and Binh bonded over quickly. I was frightened. 

Pandas.

And other animals, I suppose. And people too, like Binh Doan. But we'll save that subject for another time. This blog is all about the pandas.

Today was our epic trip to the 北京动物园 Beijing Dongwuyuan (Beijing Zoo). Amazingly, the actual process of getting to the zoo was quick and uneventful, even though our independent excursion crew totaled nine people. The Beijing subway system is incredibly efficient and user-friendly. For 2 kuai (about 27¢) you can take the subway anywhere. About twenty minutes and four stops after entering the subway station, we were buying our 20 kuai ($3) tickets to enter the zoo plus the panda enclosure (without panda access, the cost is 15 kuai, or a little over $2).

Of course, the Panda Enclosure was literally the first thing we ran into as we entered the zoo.

Yes Mr. Pavlov, You Rang?

Week 3 at Harvard Beijing Academy is almost complete.

It's amazing how quickly we've all settled into our routines...

6:00 AM: cell phone rings; wake up, shower, study new characters for today's lesson, finish last-minute homework issues, eat something.

7:30 AM: get ready to leave

7:40 AM: leave dorm for classroom building

7:45 AM: arrive at classroom, find a seat and review characters until...

8:00 AM: 听写 tingxie, or "hear-write;" our teacher dictates a sentence using about 3 of the day's 50-70 new terms, and we write out the characters --must hand in immediately along with last night's homework-- then class follows