Straight A's...A Race to a Longevity of Academic Excellence

I definitely understand school much better overseas! This is my best semester so far because I feel like I can actually apply curriculum. I participate everyday, do readings, give the best presentations, and my teachers love me! In addition, the classroom environment has gotten much more interactive and I'm making friends with my Chinese classmates! Everything is looking up. It's a shame that it took going abroad to make me try harder in school, but this successful semester is pushing me to keep these good habits :)

The Night I Ate a Scorpion

The Beijinger is now my best friend. I get updated on all the cool things happening in Beijing from cooking class to art exhibits. But what really struck my interest were the Jazz lounges. A lounge called Temple was having a latin jazz/bossa nova night and it was free to attend. Even though it was a little out of the way, I was really looking forward to going with my roommate and our friends. In this town (forgot the name), there were many small shops with traditional Chinese clothes, dresses, toys, and anything else you can think of. When I say anything, I even mean the “strange” things. On the side of the street, we went to a street food vendor selling fried scorpion, locus, and silkworm. I told myself before leaving that I would NOT eat a scorpion. Well~~

It was actually pretty good after the fact. My other friends had silkworm and I just had to refuse. Gathering up the courage to eat a scorpions  was thrilling and exciting, however, I needed to get the salty taste out of my mouth! To Temple we go!

The latin jazz band surprised me and my other Chinese friends who have never heard of the genre before. It was a little rocky at first with technical difficulties, but the performance turned out well. My roommate and I even got out of our chairs to dance for a while! Overall, it was an exciting night and next time I’ll bring more friends.

The Chinese Version of Reggae

Area called Hohai

It’s quite...different. My friends from the program went out to a reggae lounge to listen to some live music. I was really looking forward to it! After three weekends of hard partying, I decided to slow down and take it easy. Lounges are perfect for relaxing because it isn’t an aggressive environment. 

 The reggae lounge band performed spanish guitar, middle eastern, and a total of two Bob Marley songs that night. I thought the combination was unusual, however I still enjoyed the music. The location of the lounge had similar shops as the location of the Temple Lounge, but no scorpions.

That was the best chill Friday night I’ve ever had in Beijing. I was home before 1am. I’m so proud!

Icey's Birthday Party

My friend from International College of Beijing (ICB) had a birthday party yesterday and it was so much food...I mean FUN! Me and nine other people headed to her parents house and the commute wasn’t too bad. Probably an hour and a half. Icey’s parents were incredibly welcoming to having a bunch of American’s in their home. It was fascinating being in a traditional Chinese house for the first time. Oriental and traditional art everywhere, real animal fur on chairs, etc. Her house was quite comfy. 

Birthday girl Icey

As you can see here, the food was DELICIOUS! We toasted and grubbed away! All of us had to take a 30 minute break to digest for the second round of food. Ahhh...I miss home cooking and it was nice to be surrounded by a family. My program family and Icey’s parents.

I just thought that couch looked fierce

The infamous Chinese hard liquor (stay away!!) 

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Nightlife for Three Weekends in a Row: My Experience

The first three weekends of my trip were spent enjoying the nightlife of Beijing: drinking (safely), going dancing, meeting new people, and living it up. However, after adapting to the city, I limited myself dramatically. No regrets. To be honest it just got really old after partying for three weekends in a row. 

Over by the university area, there is a region of Beijing called Wudaouko (Home to the Foreigners). There are numerous bars and three main clubs: Global, Club Wu, and Propaganda. 

So MANY Americans! I’d rather be around natives than Americans in a nightlife setting any time. Yes, I do run into some cool ones from time to time, but 80% I encounter the ones who are incredibly embarrassing and create a bad image for foreigners. Plus, I came to China to immerse myself, so I get frustrated sometimes. However, I get over it and don’t let it spoil my night.

After being tired of Wudaouko, my friends decided to have a fun girls night out in a further part of the city. I looked up a really popular club called Mix and its the only hip-hop music playing club in the city (as far as I know). So that day I went to the mall with my girls to buy a new dress and get our nails done. We were dolled up and ready! 

The cab dropped us off at one of the most luxurious clubs I’ve ever been to. So I thought, there’s no way this club is free even though a friend told us it was. However since all my girls were dressed to impress (ourselves!), we all got in for free. The drinks were expensive and the beer I ordered was expired! We were so disappointed by the prices, but we decided to stay. A couple of minutes later, a man came up to my friend and brought us all to VIP. The music was right, we all had great company with some Chinese people, and it was an amazing time. I even practiced my Chinese!

Great club, luxurious atmosphere, fun company, bumpin music, and awesome shooters. Now that was an amazing night!

Note: Beijing is a relatively safe place to drink because the alcohol is extremely watered down. I call that a plus!

Bottom-line, Beijing nightlife can be adventurous, thrilling, and even disappointing at times. However, unforgettable memories are made every time and that’s what makes my study abroad experience wonderful.

R.I.P. Robert Edwards aka Grandaddy

Robert Edwards 1919-2013
Husband, Father, Grandfather

Last night I received bad news from mom that my grandaddy had passed away. What does it feel like losing a loved-one while abroad? It feels completely unexplainable.

When I told grandaddy that I was leaving for China, he was incredibly proud and not even surprised because he always knew I would embark on adventures. He was not well for a while and I knew deep down in my heart that if I left, it would be the last time I would see him. I feel like we both knew. But he still encouraged me.

As I grieving video chatted with my family on Skype last night, I felt their hugs and love oceans away. It's extremely hard right now being away from my family because all I desire is to be with them. Once I find a Christian church in China, it will be easier. I know that my granddad wants me to be strong for him and my family.

I always remember the good times with my grandaddy from my childhood to recent...

• Going to church with him
• Curling up and watching cartoons while mom and dad were at work
• Taking me and my sisters to get Happy Meals at McDonald's
• Laughing and making fun of the ridiculous court shows he would make us watch with him
• Listening to his funny reactions when something inappropriate was on TV
• Receiving his birthday and Christmas gifts (He always got what we wanted without even asking)
• Helping us out of bad situations from money to relationships
• Telling me "I love you so much" and "God bless you sweetheart" each and every time we talked or saw each other.

He lives on through me, my family, and anyone else who has touched their heart. Actually, when I Skyped my family, I talked to my nephews. Even though they are too young to understand what happened, their faces were so bright and they sent off this powerful energy of happiness. I have never felt something so powerful. This is how I know grandaddy has not left us because he showed his presence through them.

Each and every day on this Earth is a blessing from God and He blessed my grandaddy with 92 years. I feel unexplainably blessed to have such a loving and caring grandfather. I know that we will meet in God's kingdom one day. 

I love you Grandaddy. Tell grandmama hi for me. We will see each other again.

Love,

Your granddaughter Lateefah

Feeling Like a Teacher’s Pet

In China, I’m the most studious I’ve ever been in my entire life. It’s not a bad thing, but the classroom environment is completely unfamiliar even though my courses are taught as UCD classes. 

The Chinese students in my class are use to being lectured at and expected to just go home and study. But in an American-styled classroom environment, there is an expectation to participate in class to get a good grade. Since this style is unfamiliar to most of the younger Chinese students, most sit in silence when the teachers ask a question. I can hear crickets chirping every time. So I always feel obligated to raise my hand and break the ice. That means keeping up on each reading, doing every assignment, taking notes, etc. I’ve build a good relationship with my professors because of my high participation, but I feel like I’m taking the opportunity away from my other fellow classmates. Also, I feel bad for the professor who has to constantly drag participation out of the other students.

Raising my hand all the time, answering questions, constantly commenting, and building relationships with my teachers makes me feel like I’m a teachers pet. This is only because I feel that my Chinese classmates probably don’t feel they have the same opportunity because of their English (which is fine).

I’m confident that things will get better in class and hopefully I can encourage my Chinese classmates to participate more. That way I won’t feel wrong for doing something right by being a good student. Only time will tell.

McDonald's (China Version)

Even though I need my American food fix from time to time, I didn't eat there. I just walked in and took pictures.

Tianmen Square, Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace

Finally on a warm and sunny day, we all visited the famous landmarks of China. The places that I've only seen in movies and read in books were finally made a reality. That day was filled with nothing but positive energy and excitement! Even though I dropped my camera at the Forbidden City (the lens is broken). At least it's a great story though..."Oh one of the most wonderful memories was when I dropped and broke my camera at the Forbidden City. I was so struck by the majestic place."

Funny situation! My program has two African-Americans (including myself), one Hispanic, and the rest Asian and Caucasian. The minorities were basically the main attraction! Strangers were either staring or snapping pictures of us. Random strangers were also sneaking up beside us to get a picture or kindly asking by flashing a smile. Parents were encouraging their kids to take pictures with the obvious foreigners too! It's safe to say that we were all celebrities that day. I BET that the strangers are saying "Oh yeah I have lots of foreign friends. We visited Tianmen Square together. Look at our pictures." Either that or our faces will appear on Facebook tagged with a random American name.

Ahh so fascinating!

Welcome to Beijing!

Tianmen Square

FIERCE!!!!

Massage, Baguan, and a Girls Day Out

After an amazing night out with the girls in my program, it was time to follow up with a day of relaxation. So we all decided to get a full body massage and try Baguan which is a Chinese healing technique. The spa was about 12 subway stops away and a 10 minute taxi ride. When we arrived at the spa, all of us were ready to embrace the massage bed with open arms. We did more than that. The facility was so nice and luxurious that all I wanted to do was jump of the bed with excitement. We had the option of getting massaged by women or men and of course we chose men. Male massagers ensure me that they will put more pressure on my sore muscles. 

During the massage, the man worked my back, legs, butt (shockingly!), shoulders, and scalp. I disliked my scalp massage because I HATE when other people touch my hair and he ended up messing it up for the entire day. In spite of that, my head felt wonderfully clear. Now for the fun part...

Baguan is a Chinese medicine that is suppose to pull out the toxins from your skin. Fire was lit in glass balls and placed onto the skin for air suction. Was it painful? Yes. I was the last one to get the treatment, so I heard my friends freaking out first. So when it was my turn, I just prayed for God to get me through. In the end, it wasn’t as painful as my friends made it seem because I knew I needed to make my body as relaxed as possible. Praying during the treatment helped significantly. At the end, the glass balls were taken off of our backs and it was incredibly shocking. It looked like huge pepperoni slices had been placed on our backs! Mine were the least severe because I was relaxed. Til this day the marks are a little sore, but I can honestly say that my back and full body feels amazingly renewed. The massage and Baguan treatment was 88 rmb for 90 minutes which is about 15 bucks. Not bad for my first spa day!

Chinese Food Equals Endless Varieties!

I don’t think I will ever starve here in China. The food is very unfamiliar but delicious at the same time. In the campus cafeterias, I can get a meal so cheap for 10rmb which is less than 5 dollars. I put everything on my meal card that UCD supplied everyone. There’s also a western-styled restaurant in case I need my American food fix.

I did however get sick at the boy’s dorm cafeteria. That day I ate lunch with a friend that introduced me to a hip-hop dancer. I am still not sure what we ate, but it tore my stomach up in class. Thankfully that was the only sick experience I’ve had here so far.

I love food and it brings people together. However, I’m starting to dislike eating with the guys in my program. They just order a bunch of meat and nothing else most of the time. I’m more aggressive in ordering food now, but it was bad. I ate so much meat in one week that I stayed clear from meet for a few days and ate nothing but tofu and vegetables. 

Going into my second week in China, I am slowily but surely getting use to eating Chinese food all day and everyday. There is so much variety that I just need to try all I can. Chinese food rarely disappoints me with satisfaction or fulfillment. Bottom-line, Chinese food rocks!

There pictures were taken on the last night of the Chinese New Year. So we all stuffed ourselves like never before!

Dinner with the Program

Chinese Hot Pot!

Yanjing, the only beer I've seen in Beijing

My First Week in China

This time last year, I never thought I would be here in Beijing. Its such amazing experience so far! My Chinese friends warned me about how cold it would be here, but I didn’t believe them because I’m a Colorado native. Nope, it’s a lot colder. 

The food is very good, but sometimes a little too strange for me. Example, a couple guys from my program tried to convince me to try a sea cucumber. I definitely am not that adventurous yet. One night I had a big dinner with the program and we ordered whatever we wanted. Lamb, Beijing duck, kung pao chicken, and many other kinds of meat which made it the best meal I’ve had here. No upset stomach yet and I hope to keep it that way!

Shopping is really cheap depending on where you go and you can bargain! I went to a mall with my roommate and bargained a nice black dress for half the original price. I was smart and packed very little clothes so I will be able to take all my clothes back to America. BUT the Chinese airlines broke a wheel on my suitcase, so I’ll need to buy a new one. I will be bargaining for that too.

Still no nightlife experience. I went to karaoke with a couple people and we all had a really great time singing! Three of us went and paid 330 rmb for 3 hours ($18 per person). After a long night of singing, we all went to the 24 hour KFC which was surprisingly deserted on a Friday night. It seemed like a regular KFC with a lot of soup choices and sandwiches with slapped on mayo (yuck!). I approve of that night and regained my love for karaoke!

Me and my awesome roommate Amy at KTV