CHINA: My Days Are Numbered

20. That is the number times each day I am literally almost run over by either a bicycle, car, or another pedestrian. If you think I'm a bad driver, I challenge you to come to Beijing. When riding in the taxi (without a seat belt, mind you) I grab onto myself for fear I might fall forward. The drivers ignore not only pedestrians (when you're walking, you either move it or lose it) but the lines on the road also seem to be optional. I was reading in Postcards from Tomorrow Square (a collection of articles about China from The Atlantic Magazine) about how drivers in China are first generation drivers--they're new to the concept of driving cars safely. They haven't had previous generations of drivers to teach them. As the car industry is booming in China (GM may be suffering in the United States, but it's doing extremely well in China and is looking at investing more into this market), I can't help but wonder how long will it take for the generational knowledge to sink in.

798. Is the name of the modern art district in Beijing. Imagine white rooms filled with a huge ball of turf, a black room with pillows and room with a huge hairbrush. We had this outing yesterday instead of visting companies. We were supposed to visit Coca-Cola, Lenovo, and another company. But these were canceled because of the swine flu. They're taking it really seriously over here. (photo right, Lauren Schmidt)

4. That is the number of times I've eaten duck thus far. Peking duck is a Beijing specialty. All of this duck eating is unplanned, but its absolutely delicious. Four is also the number of class sessions I've had at Bei Da so far. (Bei Da is short for Peking University, where I'm studying at the Guanghua School of Management). The lectures are extremely informational, and it's such an unique way to experience Chinese higher education. We have presentations coming up next week, and I'm nervous!

40. Is the number of minutes I walked the streets of Beijing in the pouring rain today while carrying bags of things from Wal-Mart. The speed to which street vendors changed their merchandise to offer umbrellas amazed me. Although China is a communist country, its market is dynamic. Everyone in China is an entrepeneur in their own way. By the way, Wal-Mart in China is nothing like Wal-Mart in the United States. Instead of being large in size horizontally , the size is streched out vertically on different floors due to lack of space available to build.

"So much past inside my present" -Feist

We've visited many "cultural" places thus far--like Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the grounds of temples. While admiring the ancient architecture and soaking the stories of the past, you are sometimes awakened by the sight of a skyscraper or crane. At times it's hard for me to grasp that I'm sitting in one of the oldest cities I've ever visited but at the same time a city that is speeding towards the future with growth. I'm beginning to find that Beijing contradicts itself.

Whether I'm in class or getting lost (and sometimes wet) in the city, this quote keeps popping into my mind: "The test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise." -F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Posted by Phi Trinh