Proud to be American

On Monday evening, I received my absentee ballot sent to me from the U.S. Words cannot describe the pride, joy, and awe I felt holding the envelope in my hands. I was afraid that it would not arrive in time, but it did! And my local registrar sent it by Air Mail to me all the way in China! Even though I'm miles and miles away, the government still protects my right as a citizen. It's willing to send the ballot to wherever I am, be it China or Africa. That's what I love about America. Our lives are worth more; our rights are protected (or at least there's a legal recourse if they're not); our voices ring loudly and are heard by the government.

I was particularly keen on voting this election because I want to be part of this historic moment. I want to look back years later and know that I made my voice known, I took part in the vote for the first black president or the first female vice-president in U.S. history. It is such a rare privilege to be able to live in a dem0cracy where there are free and, arguably, fair elections. I want to stand up and exercise that hard-earned right.

Yet I did not have much time to get the ballot back to the U.S. California voting laws dictate that the ballots must be received, not postmarked, by Nov. 4. I got the ballot Monday evening 10/27 and Wednesday 10/29 was the deadline to get the ballot to the U.S. embassy or FedEx drop-off location in Beijing. Because I had to teach, there was no time for me to go to Beijing by the Wednesday deadline. Still, I obtained the FedEx Air Mail slip and decided to go to Beijing today (Thursday) and see if the Embassy or FedEx will still take my ballot back to the U.S. even though the deadline has passed. I went to the Embassy, and the people there were immobile: the election deadline is over and there's nothing we can do for you now. I begged them to tell me what I could do, to find a way, and all they gave me was a phone number for FedEX, and that number didn't even work.

Luckily, I did some preparation on my own before, and found out the numbers of FedEx locations in Beijing. I called one and explained my situation. I wouldn't let the guy get off the phone until he told me some place I could go to talk to someone in person. :D This is China, where there is a will, there is a way.

The FedEx office building he told me to go to was within walking distance of the U.S. Embassy in LiangMaQiao, so I walked there. After convincing the receptionist to let me speak to the person in charge of the program, this director guy came out to help me. I told him my situation, how I came all the way from Tianjin to Beijing to submit my ballot, and how I was only 1 day past the deadline. He relented after much supplication, and he found some way via Hong Kong to get my ballot mailed to the U.S. for free. Because I didn't have a printer and was only able to save the Air Mail bill printout on my USB drive, he even used their printer to print the copies for me. That's how kind this staff at the FedEX in Beijing LiangMaQiao office was.

I still don't know for sure if my ballot will reach the U.S. in time because there is no more guarantee after the 10/29 China deadline, but I think so, or hope so. At least I left in ignorant bliss, believing that my vote would be counted. It also made me believe again in the kindness of strangers. I've encountered a few mean Chinese people who are rude or even try to take advantage of you beneath their smiles, but it's nice and refreshing to meet a stranger who'll go the extra miles to help someone in need.

The Fragrance of Friendship

Last Friday, a Chinese friend of mine called me to ask if I wanted to go with him and some friends to Fragrant Mountain 香山 in Beijing. I'd heard so many people talk about Xiangshan that I'd been wanting to go for a long time, so of course, I was thrilled at the chance. When we got there after a 2 hour bus ride, we found that we were too late in the season to see the red and yellow colors of the leaves in the height of beauty. Most of the leaves had fallen or were more brown and yellow than red. Plus, there were so many people along the way that we probably saw more human heads than leaves.

China's autumn scenery, while pretty, doesn't compare with New England's fall scene. I always loved leaf-jumping and running up Prospect Street underneath flaming red trees and golden, sun-kissed maple trees. I still remember those two beautiful bright red trees that frame Cross Campus and the entrance to Sterling Memorial. I still remember apple picking through crisp, sweet-smelling orchards, warm homes permeated with the spicy smells of mulled cider, and of course, buttery apple pie. I now believe New England's autumn is the best in the whole world.

So although Xiangshan didn't compare with New England, it was fun just for the mountain-climbing/hiking and the new friends I made. I finally met some Chinese female friends.

What are the odds

On Saturday, after arriving in Beijing. I went to Tiananmen
to find a hostel for two nights. My hallmate had said there's lots of cheap hostels with single rooms in the area. I eventually found one for 140 yuan a night, which was rather expensive, but I was just so sick of lines and walking around that I settled for the first one I was offered. It was a huge mistake. Although the location was great, in a hutong right next to Tiananmen Road (the direct North-South road pointing straight at Tiananmen). However, the facilities were terrible. The air conditioner on the wall was so old the plastic had turned a yellow brown, and it barely worked. The bed was hard and so used you could feel the metal springs beneath. Worst of all was the smell and the dirt and grime all along the corners of the wall. You smelled must and mildew the moment you walked in, and even after I left after only one night, my clothes still had that soggy mildew smell. I don't know what those cleaning ladies do all day, but clearly they don't clean the rooms because the floor was dirty, especially the corners. I spent Saturday night so disturbed by the smell and the sight of a cockroach that I didn't dare take off my socks or any thing. I even put on a long-sleeved shirt so that less parts of my skin would be exposed to potential bedbugs or mosquitoes. I didn't dare use their blankets because I was afraid they didn't wash it. I just laid down stiff as a board and put an extra shirt between the pillowcase and my head so that I wouldn't catch any potential lice.
The next morning, I woke up really early and checked out. I could not stand another night there. I liked the intimate neighborhood shops selling fresh steamed baos, hot soymilk, and fried Chinese doughnuts, but other aspects were intolerable. I had a very "local" experience with the hutong, but one time is enough.

Chance Meetings
After packing my bags and leaving that wretched hostel on Sunday morning, I decided to go visit the Beijing International Fellowship. I intended to make it to the 9:30am service, but I got lost coming out of the LiangMaQiao subway station. They said to go two blocks east or west, but I got confused and went the opposite direction. Beijing blocks are like 1/4 mile long, so it took me 15-20minutes to go 2 blocks west, then retrace my steps, then go two blocks east. At this time, my feet were also killing me because of all the walking and standing I'd done since Saturday morning. I decided to sit at a nearby coffee shop (Alpha Bakery), and wait until the 11:30am service. The Beijing Int'l Fellowship meets at this big, ritzy looking hotel. The service is held in the hotel's huge auditorium, which probably sits close to 800 people, maybe more. I went into the auditorium from the right door, and looked up and down the rows, deciding where to sit. Looking at the faces all around, I wondered if I'd bump into anyone I knew, but I figured it wouldn't be likely, since this gathering was so big. During the greeting time, I was introducing myself to the person next to me when I heard a loud exclamation of "Nina!" I turned around and lo and behold, Marilyn, Josh, and Justin from New Cherch Berkeley(yes, I am purposely spelling this wrong) were sitting behind me.

I was so surprised and glad to see someone I knew in Beijing. Truly, it felt like divine intervention. Of all the services I could have gone to, of all the places I could have sat, I sat there, right in front of the small New Cherch Berkeley contingent. I happily went with them and another of Justin's friend (I forget her name) to eat lunch and Marilyn and Josh invited me to stay with them for the night after hearing about my previous night's ordeal. Even nicer was Marilyn inviting me to a Mid-Autumn celebratory dinner at her work. It was a really cool artists' commune where several Chinese documentary filmmakers live and work. I got to meet some cool Chinese filmmakers and interns, eat really good homecooked Chinese food,and even get my belly written on in Chinese (in Marilyn's words, to make my impact on the Chinese contemporary art world). It was so nice not to be spending Mid-Autumn festival alone. Since 8/15 is a holiday where you're supposed to get together with family to eat and gaze at the moon, it would have been a little kelian (tragic/pitiful) to sit alone at a restaurant. Sniff, sniff.

So, I was completely blown away by His blessing. He knew how much I needed a familiar face and place to stay in a strange city, and allowed me to bump into such hospitable friends Marilyn and Josh. I am so grateful.

Tired in Beijing

This past Saturday, Sunday and Monday, I went to Beijing to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. I had the true "China" experience of lines, crowds, and sore feet.

The Train Ride
On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:30am to catch the bus to the Tianjin train station. The ladies downstairs told me to take the wrong #97, which took me to the old temporary train station instead of the main one. When I got to the end of the line, I asked the bus driver, and he said I'd taken the wrong bus and now I had to wait for another one, #24. Finally, I get on #24, and 1 hour and 45 minutes after I left the dormitories, I arrived at the train station. I find that there's hundreds of people trying to get into building where they sell tickets. We have to go through security checks and there's only so many x-ray machines, so the lines and crowds are pushing and shoving to get through the doors and through security. I doubt that, with all the crowds and hurrying people, they're doing a thorough job of checking for dangerous items. It's probably more for show and intimidation.

After you get into the ticket purchase area, you have to line up again to buy tickets. This time, at least the lines are orderly and straight, although I still had to wait 15 minutes for the 10 or so people in front of me. When it was finally my turn, many of the tickets had sold out. It was slightly before 9am and the earliest bullet train ticket available was the 10:50am one. The other option was the 9:30am regular train, but there were no seated tickets left. I decided to go for the earlier, but slower train, even if I had to stand. I figured it was better because the slower train stopped in the main Beijing station, where the subway lines stop and everything. The new bullet train stops in Beijing South station, which is pretty far from city center and only accessible by bus or taxi.
Little did I know, that the regular train would be horrendous. My standing tickets were pretty cheap, only 20 yuan, but I will gladly spend the 58 yuan for bullet train tickets every time from now on. After buying the tickets, you have to go out the building, and then push and shove to go through security again to get into the main terminal. That is the most ridiculous and inefficient setup I know, but it's China, things have to be complicated and difficult, toughens you up, you know. Finally I get into the main terminal and it's huge, like an airport. The picture at the top is of the Tianjin Train Station terminal. The masses of Chinese people everywhere will leave you dumbfounded. Almost every seat in the huge terminal was occupied, and there were people sitting on the ground, lying down, leaning against their bursting red, white, blue striped hemp bags, it was crazy. You could clearly tell many of them were from the countryside by their much darker, leathery skin, their dress, their bundles after bundles of hemp bags instead of suitcases, and their heavy accents.


When my train was called to board, I had to stand in line and shove yet again for ticket checks. This photo is the view of the train platform right after the ticket check, as we descended the escalator to the ground level. Notice how people on the ground are running to the trains. I didn't know why until I got in and saw that they were packing the train like sardines. Not only do you not have a seat, you don't get much breathing space either. 1.5 hours is a long time to stand after you've been standing in lines already at the train station before. My feet got so tired I sat on my backpack half an hour into the ride. One guy with a seat pitied me, so he gave me 4 inches of the edge of his seat to sit. So I squeezed and got some rest on my weary legs. But not much, for getting out of Beijing station was equally taxing.

We're already in Beijing, you would think it'd be ok, no more rushing or pushing to get out. But it's still a pain. You push and shove to get to the stairs to go toward the exit, then there's another train ticket check (why the redundancy? because it's China.) Getting to the ticket check is crazy because everyone is pushing to go toward the limited 6 or 7 ticket agents. Even after ticket checks, there's a constant hand or foot at your back pushing you towards the main doors to outside. For some reason, people are slow getting out the door and the people behind are impatient, so people like us in the middle get pushed into the people in front of us and you feel like a human sandwich. I was so glad to get out into the open air and not be squeezed into tight spaces. Yet that was not the end of lines. I still had to line up for 45 minutes to buy my return ticket on the bullet train. (in hindsight, I didn't need to because there were plenty of tickets left on Monday, but I didn't want to risk having this horrendous experience again.)

This is still not the end of the lines, because there are lines to buy subway tickets, and another line to go through security check to get into the subway station. I looked at that 40 person line, and decided to go eat and sit down instead. I was too tired and hungry. If I didn't get food and a seat, I'd probably scream or start murdering someone. So I went and found a place across the street to have a cold glass of soymilk and noodles. It was a nice respite for a weary traveler. After resting, I went to the other subway entrance near the restaurant (across the street from the train station instead of directly in front of the train station), and there were no lines to buy tickets or to enter. It was such a revelation. Walk a little farther, work a little harder, and then the air is clear and crowdless.