Hong Kong Macau, pt 2

Day 1: Victoria Peak and W Hotel night

After getting up relatively early on Saturday morning, the group headed over to Starbucks for a lite breakfast and some day planning. We came to the conclusion that we needed to head to Victoria Peak to see the famous view of the city, then if we had time we'd head over to Stanley Market. Being economically efficient students,we chose to take the subway. We figured out how many stops we needed to take and where to change lines to get close to the cable car
that heads to the peak. We ended up in the center of the city, looking up at all the famous buildings of Hong Kong from the ground level. We hiked up a few hills,eventually finding our way to the Victoria Peak visitor's center.
After a subway adventure, we got to the base of the peak and jumped on the cable car heading up.
Upon arrival, we headed straight for the top of the building. October weather in Hong Kong makes the humidity low and the sky clear, making it a perfect day for pictures and sightseeing. The day was clear, warm, and beautiful as we
overlooked the harbor. After MANY pictures, photoshoots, and entourage impressions, we headed down to the peak plaza for a light lunch of french baguette sandwiches and cold drinks. It was fantastic to be up there, especially on such a beautiful day.

After Victoria Peak ,we all headed down to the Ladies Market. Stanley Market turned out to be a very far drive, so we stayed local and bartered for some goods. I bought a brown, styled wig (not for any particular reason...mostly because I thought it was funny) and the boys bought some trinkets. We were all exhausted from traveling and roaming around Hong Kong, so we called it a night and headed back to the W for some swimming, showers, and to figure out the plans for the evening. Clay and I went up to the rooftop of the W to the outdoor hottub, which was fantastic after a long day of walking and sightseeing. The other group of Pepperdine students traveling in Hong Kong showed up at the W, and we decided we would all figure out something to do together that night. One thing and another, we ended up staying in, enjoying the luxuries of the W and just having a great time relaxing. The day was great, the evening was relaxing, and we all decided that Hong Kong is definitely fantastic (that's if you can afford it... but hey, we're living it up while we still can!)

Hong Kong-Macau, pt 1

Wow... it's been awhile since i've posted. These past few weeks have just flown by. I did do some blogging while on the move!

After a few weeks of good hard work, I'm off to Hong Kong. I'm traveling with Morgan, John, Patrick, Clay, and James. Wendy of the lost boys much (with, of course, the exception of Morgan :) ) ?? Because I had an afternoon class today, I left about five hours after everyone else... Alone. Clay did not inform me that he had changed his flight, so I realized this afternoon that I would be fending for myself. Ainsley luckily had a close flight to Beijing, so I had some company on the way to the airport. From there, I proceeded to negotiate, explain, and board my plain in mandarin. I've gotten used to people staring at me all the time, but now I love that I can semi understand when people make comments about me in line. My favorite of the evening: "what is she?" "English? Too skinny to be American."
I passed out for most of the flight. Chinese airlines, regardless of
the time of day, always serve food. The Stewardess brought me a half
decent fruit cup, and I enjoyed the roughly translated English announcements.So after a rather easy flight, I landed in Shenzen. The south china humidity smothered me upon exiting the aircraft into the open expanse of outdoors that is Shezen. Still alone, I found a 90 kuai bus to Hong Kong. Flying into Shenzen and taking a bus or train significantly saves money... All the more for shopping I guess. I navigated this bus, picked the correct stop, and then saw my shining beacon of hope: Starbucks. Being alone, tired, and looking at an hour on the bus, this was the best part of the evening :) the bus came about ten seconds after I picked up my latte, and now I'm on my way to the W. I'm keeping track of this on my iPod, to be published upon arrival. As for now, I'll sit back with my latte, read my new Dan Brown novel, and continue to call my useless friends who have not yet remembered to turn on their phones. Oh well.

Later...

Finally at the W. Turns out the bus was not as simple as first expected. After getting settled in, the bus stopped and I was told to get off. I had to first go through a set of customs, transferring from mainland China to Hong Kong. Then to another bus. Ten minutes later, I had to get off again to go through the health exam. One more bus, then head into the Prince Edward port somewhere in Kowloon. I get off the bus, find a taxi, and eventually make my way to the W. Though exhausted, I'm sitting here in the lobby with everyone, enjoying the white party and hopefully going out for some more fun in a little bit!

Yay for traveling alone. More on Hong Kong to come :)

For the first time of the semester, I worked late into last night. I was trying to understand and put together my presentation on Constructivism Theory in International Relations. Not only was I struggling with the subject matter (Constructivism is highly hypothetical and purely analytical) but also with the concept of once again putting together a full scale powerpoint presentation.
The nice thing about working in Shanghai is that unlike Malibu, things stay open. I can go get a Starbucks (or 24 hour 85 degrees) coffee at 11:00 pm and then head down the all-days convenience store at the end of our street at 1:00 to pick up a soyjoy bar and green tea. Malibu is pretty much shut down by 10:00pm, and the nearest open areas are usually a 20 minute drive through the canyon.

Even better are the mornings. I can wake up at 6:30, light already streaming through my window, and revise my presentation. Go for a run, pick up a coffee, enjoy a bowl of cereal, and keep on going. It's all pretty fluid and easy here... even more so than on the Malibu campus. The amount of work is still very real, but I don't mind it nearly as much here.

8 hour of class in one day... Tuesdays are rough.

October 3rd. Lunar Holiday.

So here I sit, house almost completely to myself. It's nice to have a night of just quiet... but I also miss having the group home. I was invited to go out tonight, but I figure, how many nights alone will I get for the rest of this term? So I sit with my take out curry, enjoying the full moon and catching up on my busywork.( despite the large availability of American/western food, I'm trying to see how long I can hold out before I go running for the pizza hut down the street :) )

My parents came to Shanghai for a few days this week. Unfortunately, the week's rain hadn't stopped by the time they arrived. We spent the first day cruising the Super Brand Mall on the Pudong side of the river. Ten full stories of commercial madness is, at times, overwhelming, but I think they liked it. It was mostly just interesting to see how modern Shanghai has embraced capitalism in it's purest form. After an afternoon nap at the Four Seasons, we headed out for a traditional Shanghainese dinner. We ended up in an old mansion in the French Concession where we were served iced chicken, Mao pork, smoked fish and fresh peas. The flavors and style were definitely not what we were used to, but it was fun to try something new.

Friday was a gorgeous day, so the three of us headed out to the Yu Gardens, the only slightly historical sight left in Shanghai. Because of the holiday week, the gardens were PACKED with people... almost all visiting Chinese with a few random westerners thrown in. Our morning was filled with bartering, shopping, and sampling the local fair. For lunch, we stopped by a crowded stand of street food where whole deep fried crabs on skewers were flying out of the stalls and devoured by local tourists. After an order of crabs, xiao long bao (little dragon buns, or steamed pork dumplings), and egg tarts (amazing!), we finally found the actual garden inside the large circling walls of the complex. The gardens themselves were lovely and tranquil, especially in the Shanghai midday heat. After a walk around, we headed back to the Four Seasons for massages :) and some down time before dinner.

On the way to dinner, we stopped by People's Square to admire the lights and holiday festivities. The whole country seems to have the holiday spirit, waving small China flags and supporting the national activities. We then headed over to New Heights, a trendy bar with an unbelievable view of the Bund. Below New Heights was our restaurant, the Wanpou club, where we had some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. Specialties of the area (xiao long bao) combined with fusion shrimp and sweet pistaccio beef made then dinner incredible. We enjoyed all of these local delicacies while looking out on the river skyline, perfectly clear in the cool autumn night.
Sadly, My parents left come Saturday morning to head back home. After some sad goodbyes, I took advantage of the Four Seasons health club and then headed on my way to explore Shanghai. The day was incredible: perfectly clear, not too hot, and full of Chinese tourists. I headed back down to People's Square to Shanghai's No. 1 department store, where at the request of my father, I bartered myself a working cell phone. I stopped for a Starbucks at the People's Square outdoor patio, where I opened up my Shanghai book and skimmed through the local attractions. Finally, I head back home, got myself some take out, and now sit here reflecting on the past week.

At night, the city is covered in lights and decorations for the holiday. Driving down Nanjing road is almost like going through some lit up Christmas neighborhood... only instead of holiday cheer, the energy is unmistakebly nationalistic. I have two more days of "vacation" until classes start up. I have laundry and homework looming, but hopefully some fun mixed in here and there.

It's amazing to me that after only a month, I really am starting to fall in love with this city. I can't wait to get out and do some traveling (I'm already reeling with stories from my groupmates and their assorted travels) but at least for this break, I'm glad I got to explore the city a little further. I have many more places to try, more things to see, and hopefully some more fun time to experience here. For now, I'll simply enjoy my East Indies shrimp curry and the beautiful full moon in the quiet of my beautiful Jia.

Quick note:

Went running this morning as usual. Walked into Starbucks (which opens at 7:00 AM, no lines EVER) and the nice barista girl asked me if i'd like my usual.

....

Apparently, I've become the store-opening regular. I love this city.

Classes

In Mandarin class this morning, I realized I'm finally starting to get this language.

I have struggled with languages from the time I was old enough to read. Because on my not-so-smart first grade teacher (who later became my third grade teacher...ugh) I didn't end up learning English grammar until about the fifth grade. After taking basic Spanish throughout most of my elementary education, I gave up and chose Latin upon my arrival at Castilleja. Big mistake. What is Latin? mostly grammar... hard grammar and vocabulary. Though kind of helpful in terms of SAT vocabulary, Latin pretty much kicked my ass till the day I completed my basic high school language requirement.
Luckily, Mandarin has been very different. Unlike most romance languages, Mandarin grammar is fluid and flexible. Mandarin is a conceptual language, based on primarily vocabulary and interpretive tones. As someone who is relatively musical, the tones come naturally and the language almost feels like music. In short: I like it. The hard part has been trying to listen. With the different accents and massive vocabulary, Mandarin initially sounded like gibberish. Now, after a summer and a few intensive weeks of exposure, I'm starting to understand daily conversation. Not every word, but I can listen and pick up phrases or common words. When putting a conversation in context, I can actually pick up on the general gist of the content. I realized this when sitting in class this morning. Instead of my normal struggle to interpret our laoshi's (teacher) daily lessons (which she tries to teach completely in Mandarin), I found myself actually understanding. Instead of forcing myself to do word-by-word translations of her instructions, I just listened and, with a few exceptions, understood what she was saying. It was fantastic.

My other classes are also good. I'm currently taking Asian art history, International Relations, and Statistics. None of these classes where what I was expecting, but I really like them all. Art History is more or less Chinese art appreciation. I am learning not only how to view Chinese art, but also how to recognize my own biases towards western art. International Relations is amazing. Our professor is one of the most intellectual, intelligent and down to earth people I've ever met. This man is a personal friend of Henry Kissinger... and he's teaching me?! I've only had one class thus far, but I can tell this is going to be an amazing semester. Statistics, with our visiting professor Khan Bui, is surprisingly comfortable. I haven't taken a math class since junior year high school... so I was naturally pretty nervous about starting a math course in China. To my relief, the class has been a combination of simple algebra and practical application. Thus far, I'm really enjoying classes here.

One more day of class and then we break for the Fall Holiday, or Golden Week. In China, this is the fall national holiday. I can't really tell what the Chinese do to celebrate, only that they don't work for a few days and eat a lot of food. Sounds good to me. Most of my classmates are traveling around China, but I'm hanging out in Shanghai because...... my mom and dad are coming!! Turns out my Dad had some business planned for earlier this week in China. My parents decided to extend the trip, stop by Hong Kong, and then come spend a few days in Shanghai with me. I'm excited that they'll get to see where I'll be living for the next year, as well as spend some time just exploring the city with me.

Hope everyone has a safe and fantastic Golden Week!

Tesco Nightmares

Once again, China blocked my access to facebook and this blog. After a few days of relentlessly hunting down proxy servers, I am once again online.

Yesterday I went over to my local Tesco to pick up some laundry detergent. Tesco is like a wall-mart style underground shopping mall that spans the entire double level basement of the large building in which it is located. As a westernized shopper, Tesco is both fascinating and frightening.

Upon walking into this emporium of madness, I am immediately overwhelmed by the number of people. These people have no organization, instead opting for snail-like browsing or aggressive pushing and shoving. While making my way over to the toiletries selection, I realize that despite having some western brands, nothing is in English. I hopelessly stare at the wall of herbal essence hair products, trying to remember which color shampoo I use, all the while being knocked around by various other shoppers. I then venture over to the aisle of washing detergent, walking past everything from small vespas to a large array or liquor. Again, no English. I scoff at the price, almost 75 RMB for a normal sized laundry detergent ( this is about 11 US dollars) but figure I can't decipher any of the cheaper alternatives and I don't want to end up with bleached out clothes.
Once I grab my essential items, I look around the sea of bodies for some sign of a check-out station. Nothing. I wander aimlessly around the bottom floor, looking for anything resembling a cashier. Finally, I see a moving ramp to the upper floor. Though not my first guess, I assumed the ramp would allow me to find some way of exiting the store.
I arrived on the upper floor to an even more massive crowd of people. Household products were replaced by food... so much food. Shelves and shelves of products that I couldn't recognize. I once again began my search for the checkout. I passed young women with microphones and adorable dress outfits, promoting the Chinese equivalent of Activia Yogurt. I passed through the fresh produce section, which considering how much local food I'm eating was a mistake. Not only were people handling the produce, but they were throwing it around and testing it. As I made to turn around, an small old woman literally sneezed in my face. Those who know me well know that I HATE sneezing, especially when not covered. This was in my face. To my horror, this is not uncommon in China. There were people simply coughing, sneezing, or hawking spit all over the place...in a supermarket. Worse was the meat counter. Apparently, in China, customers like to "feel" the meat before purchasing. Slabs of raw flesh lay out, amidst the crowds of people, being handled and prodded. I had to get out.
Ten minutes later, after stumbling through the frozen food section with my detergent and hair product, I finally found the checkout. Logically placed? No. I paid, bagged my items (you have to do that yourself here) and promptly went upstairs to the Starbucks to recover from my adventure. Shanghai has many a Starbucks, which is a definite plus for me. I haven't had American food for almost three weeks, but by God I won't give up my daily Latte. Whenever I get overwhelmed by the Chinese, the culture immersion, or just need a minute alone, I head to the beautiful shining beacons of either the local Starbucks or Coffee Bean (they are ALL over the city... lucky me.) I sit with my latte, recollect myself, and continue onward.

So I need to get used to the crazy shopping, but I guess that's culture immersion. I've gotten REALLY good at taking the subways ( it costs about 3 RMB per ride, or about 50 cents.) I take subways every day, by myself. I fight through the crowd and push my way in, just like everyone else in China. I can't get used to the public sneezing-coughing-hawking. I don't understand how that is culturally acceptable. Regardless, I just go with it. I take cabs when I have to, even though cabs here are also very cheap. No big surprise... I'm pretty independent.

More to come. Need to finish my IR reading first (yes, I am a student.)

Hangin with the Locals

Today, I finally went to get my health exam. A blood sample, xray, and ultrasound later (ha, please) I am finally on my way to becoming a semi-permanent resident of CHINA. I would like give a shout out to all those who believe bureaucracy or government run health care is "good": I waited 4 hours this morning outside a health clinic, only to be turned away because it was "lunch break time." I came back in the afternoon, waited another three hours, went through a series of checkpoints only to wait in ANOTHER line, allowing me to have about thirty seconds with an overworked doctor and then be unceremoniously shoved out of the way. We think America has crappy systems? Welcome to socialized medicine.

I've developed a sore throat and lethargic demeanor, much like everyone else in the program. Once I finally returned to the Jia, I napped and took a quiet afternoon of research and statistics. I keep reminding myself that I need to get more rest... mostly because i'm exerting energy i'm not even aware during these first weeks of immersion.

Tonight was an experience, to say the least. After crawling out of bed, I grabbed Carl and Saxon to help me find dinner down the street. We stopped in at a local dumpling restaurant i've eaten at before, only to find there was no room inside. The hostess gave skeptical glances to her fellow workers, then gestured to the back of the restaurant, pointing "upstairs." I didn't even realize there was an upstairs, but since we were hungry I followed the boys up the stairs. We arrived in a crowded room of local Chinese, all smoking and laughing over large, more expensive plates of food. The downstairs had resembled a storefront restaurant, but this room was slightly more upper class and much more local. We all sat down, ordered some drinks, and opened a menu of complete characters (not English pinyin, just characters.) After Carl (who speaks great Mandarin!) asked for an English menu, the waitress summoned the "person in charge" who we assumed owned the restaurant. After greeting us, he asked us (Keep in mind, there was NO ENGLISH spoken this entire meal) what we liked to eat. In a brave move, Carl asked the man to bring us what HE liked to eat.
We waited in eager anticipation of whatever was coming our way. First, a plate of pickled cabbage, which is typical of a Chinese starter. Then, a small bucket with tin foil appeared. Inside was some kind of tofu dish with an aromatic chicken broth sauce and chunks of what appeared to be clam. It wasn't like anything i've ever eaten, but very good all the same. Then out came something familiar: Jiao zi, or boiled soup style dumplings. Served like dim sum, these little pouches of heaven were incredible. Shanghai is famous for it's soup dumplings, and this dish certainly proved why. Hot but not scalding, savory yet light, and covered in delicate dumpling dough. ahhhhh.
Finally, we finished with a sizzling plate of beef in a sweet soy sauce. Incredibly tender beef paired with some egg fried rice... just wonderful. After some more conversation with the Manager man (we couldn't really pick up his name... his deep gruff voice slurred almost everything he said) we left, having paid 90 quai for the whole meal (for those at home counting, that's about 15 US dollars, apps 5 dollars a person.)

On the way back, Saxon and I stopped for iced green tea outside the 7/11 style convenience shop outside our gate. The street woman near where we were sitting had taken an old chair and was stripping it for wood. Saxon, who is both wonderful and a complete mystery to me, decided to help the woman. I sat and watched as this odd act of kindness turned into a fantastic scene. John and Patrick drove by the house, saw Saxon, and proceeded to help him in his act of public service. Locals started to appear, confused yet fascinated by the odd Americans helping the street woman. As we later learned, higher class local Chinese do not help the street people with their "work," so watching Saxon was very strange and borderline taboo. We explained to the onlookers that Americans pride themselves in being both friendly and helpful. The locals, to my surprise, were impressed by this and watched in interest and the boys continued to help the woman with her work.

After the wood-stripping had finished, one of the woman who I had been pathetically trying to communicate with decided to walk John and I back to our Jia, which was right down the lane. After walking and chatting, we discovered that she lived next to our Jia in a small apartment across the way. She asked if we both would come up and see her home. Though small, the apartment housed the woman, her husband, and her young daughter. After assessing the the situation was perfectly safe and these people were simply being very hospitable, John and I sat and talked with the girl (Joy) and her mother (Laura.) The immersion was intense, but Joy spoke some English and John helped with the Mandarin translation. Joy, who is twelve and very good in school, was eager to exchange emails to she can practice her English. Both Joy and Laura were polite, kind and very hospitable to John and myself. Though in a normal situation, being invited to a strangers house would have seemed both sketchy and dangerous, but here it is a cultural norm. The home is a source of pride for Laura and her family, and inviting us up to chat and meet her family was incredibly kind of her. After a long series of conversations, I finally got back to the Jia. After a very long day, I feel like I definitely am staring to embrace the cultural transition. I chose China as my study abroad because I felt the transition here would be most difficult, yet also the most rewarding. By making the effort to step out of my comfort zone, I feel I'm getting much more out of this experience than If I were simply staying with the group 24/7. I'm meeting people, eating with the locals, and trying to bridge the cultural gap. I'm (safely) taking the leap into China.
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Living in the City

This morning, I got up and went for a run. My normal runs are relatively boring, usually with a few people passing by and a nice view. Running in Shanghai is more like an obstacle course. There are hundreds of people EVERYWHERE, going to school, work, or just simply wandering the streets in the early hours of the morning. I ran up to the Ji'an temple, circled around, grabbed a coffee at the CHINESE coffee store 85 degrees, and picked up some fresh fruit on my way back to the Jia. I was pointed at and photographed by a few commuters in buses, but other than that, I kind of meshed in with the rest of the morning commute.

For a city of over 20 million people (the largest city in China) I feel surprisingly safe here. Walking around the streets feels comfortable. Crossing the street, though incredibly dangerous, isn't so hard once you get in the rhythm of things. Everything here is moving all the time. It's a nice change of pace from Malibu.

Today we're learning how to use taxi directions and public transportation. Our hands-on activity later today will be a scavenger hunt around the city. During the "intensive" class period, we have three hours of sit down class work in the morning, followed by a one hour review in the afternoon. Then, we are all given an activity or task in the city and are expected to go out and use what we've learned that morning. Practical, hands on application learning.

Hopefully, I'll finally join the local gym today and get some cardio in. We've been getting plenty of excercise just walking around, but I'm itching to get into a good gym habit here. Tomorrow we have our orientation day at Fudan University, and then normal classes start!

:) Love to my family, friends and readers.

Exploring the City

I've officially been in Shanghai for four days. I can't tell if it's been four days, four weeks or four years. I've had absolutely no time to update because I've been running around the city non stop with some new and wonderful people. I finally had to sneak back up to my room during lunch just to get a quiet minute.

I'll try and start from the beginning, summarizing as I go along.

Upon arrival at LAX last Tuesday night, the group received boarding passes and instruction regarding the following days travel. We greeted each other with hugs, smiles and excitement. Despite our large piles of luggage, we all looked relatively travel savvy and ready to take on China.

Two Tylenol simply sleep later, I woke up with only three hours until our landing in Shanghai :) God's gift to red eye travelers. After passing out for the majority of the flight, I got off in Hong Kong to find my two morning necessities: a toothbrush and some kind of latte. About a second later we were on our way to Shanghai. Two of my new roommates and I shrieked in excitement upon landing in China. Then came a fast paced march to customs and swine flu inspection, followed by luggage and meeting our program director at ground transportation. One relatively short bus ride later, we were standing on the front porch of a french style mansion in the middle of Shanghai, known to us as Jia or HOME.

The next night was a random assortment of hello's, unpacking and dinner. We went out to South Beauty banquet Chinese restaurant where we were served an excellent array of traditional formal dishes: chicken, shrimp, pork ribs and fish. Pickled cold items to start, like mushrooms and tofu, followed by seafood, meat, and then finally a large plate of fresh fruit. I was impressed to find that our group made the effort to try everything, no matter how foreign.

After crashing Thursday night, we all got up on Friday for orientation, group bonding, and more food. We went out to the bund (the riverside edge of the puxi, our side of the river) and got on a dinner river cruise up and down the pudong river. We got to see Shanghai lit up at night, which from the boat was incredible. A small group of us (Morgan, Brennen, Katy, Allie, Zach, James, Jason and myself) went out on to the bow of the boat to watch the city lights. It's an incredible city: a combination of modern, classical, international and local. Later that night, the entire group (40 people, so a lot, with the exception of only a few) went out to the local club by our house to enjoy the nightlife of our new district. The club was alright, the open bar was terrible, but having around 35 Pepperdine students dancing and enjoying one of our first nights was worth the ten dollar fee. Some stayed late, some left early, but we just had fun together.

After a groggy Saturday morning, we continued orientation and went shopping for a few essentials. Later in the afternoon, Clay, Allie, Luke, Jordan, Morgan and myself sat outside the nearest Starbucks and tried some of the local cuisine we picked up on the sidestreets by our Jia. Luke insisted that we buy some mooncake, which was awful but culturally significant. We sat and savored the afternoon over a few iced drinks and 20 questions style games.

On a side note: NO, i haven't kicked my coffee habit... yet. I'm working on it. Thus far, I've tried to just do an iced coffee with nonfat milk versus paying for the more expensive vanilla latte, but it's a process. I'm hoping I can go local and just go with green tea... ha I can dream.

Saturday night Allie, Zach, Meghan, Brennen, James, Luke and I all went out after dinner. We ended up meeting an Ex-Pat couple who took us out and talked to us about living in Shanghai. They've been living in the city for three years and plan on staying for at least another five. We learned how to find good places to eat, We stayed out late, made some new friends, and explored the French Concession at night :) Fantastic night.

Sunday flew by. I went down with a group to the Bund to shop, eat, and explore (all i seem to be doing is exploring :) ) Now it's Monday and we're doing six hours of intensive Chinese. I'm learning how to barter and speak simple sentences, which will be taken out on the street later this afternoon.

Thus far, things are INCREDIBLE!!! more to come later :)

Away We Go

So. Here it is.

I'm about three hours away from meeting everyone at the airport in Shanghai. I've been running around LA for the past three days, everywhere from Manhattan Beach to Malibu to Burbank to Pasadena. I've been blasting classic rock out the back of my uncles' red jeep wrangler and living it up for my last few days in the USA. It's odd to think that in less than 24 hours, I'll be speaking mandarin and trying to negotiate my residential visa in Shanghai.

Like everything in my life thus far, I can usually tell when something is going to be important. I can sense when some event or moment is going to have a significant impact on "life" that I can't really explain. Mostly I just get nervous and can feel something shifting in whatever greater universe I'm living in. I know it sounds ridiculous. It's like I can feel something bigger is coming... lol

Now is the moment where I take the leap. I said goodbye to my family, waved goodbye to my home and my friends, and now stand on the edge of this huge adventure that I can't even really see yet. I'm excited, nervous, but mostly just waiting for it to begin. I figure if I can live on my own, work and internship, and be self reliant in Los Angeles for two months... this Shanghai thing shouldn't be too difficult.

Here we go.... Finally :)

leaving the house

Well... here I am. 20 minutes away from leaving for the airport and two days away from leaving for China. My bags are somehow not overstuffed, my things are in order, and I might actually be ready to go. I sit here in my somewhat normal looking bedroom wondering how my bags can have so much in them when my room doesn't really look empty.

So I am really packing my life and moving to China. Two days. More to come.

One Week.

One week to go.

Thus far, I have two empty suitcases, a large pile of potential clothes, and a totally chaotic room. Despite a lifetime of traveling, I am still a terrible packer. I tend to just throw things in a general direction and attempt to imagine various scenarios in which to wear far too may outfits. The weight limit isn't helping, either. 100 pounds, 15 of which are already taken up by the suitcases, is not much for almost 8 months in a foreign country.

So far, I have a list of mostly layers. Lots of tanks and sweaters to layer with jeans depending on the weather, which from what I hear can be extreme. Some trek gear for harder travel, along with winter layers for the upcoming cold months. I have some random items for everyday, like a dress or flip flops, but I mostly have practical clothing. I'm bringing a few luxuries, like hand sanitizer and my fantastic new camera. In reality, I'm not actually taking that much stuff. What I can't figure out is why it all weights so much...

This month went so fast. I can't believe that in a week I'll be on my way. I have to disconnect my beloved iphone, change over my money, and say goodbye for awhile. With the time change and lack of convenient communication, I'll have to rely on skype, facebook, and this blog to kind of keep people updated on what i'm doing.

Also, sad news :( my puppy of over 12 years passed away last friday. He was the best dog in the world...I miss him very much.

Mental Vacation

Been home for a week now. Mostly been enjoying the comforts of home and my favorite old hangouts. No matter what kind of mood I'm in, I always find some comfort in a Douce France Chai. Despite the exhaustion and re-adjustment, I am really happy to be home. This is my first shot at a "vacation" in almost a year, and for the first time I really feel like I need it. As my family keeps telling me, I need to go to Shanghai refueled, rested, and ready to go.

I'm a little more than two weeks away from getting on the plane to Shanghai. I haven't packed, I haven't even thought about the transition that much. I'm living in a satisfying limbo where I can just relax for a week or two. I have, however, been brushing up on my Mandarin. I'm going into 152 Mandarin, so I can't forget everything I learned during summer session.

That's all for now... just taking a break

和平，爱，安全的旅行
(Peace, Love, Safe Travels)

Saturday night, I had a blast.

Though a few months ago my plans for this particular night were completely different, I still found myself crying through gut-wrenching laughter. My twelve and nine year old cousins had apparently never played MASH, the age old game of creating potential futures. After a few test runs, we stayed up far past everyone's bedtimes imagining pet jaguars and fantasy spouses. Troy, much like my sister, goes through various fixations on new or exciting things. If it were up to Troy, we would have played MASH until he couldn't hold his head up. Game after game, we laughed until our sides hurt. Finally, I pulled the plug when yawns started to outnumber laughs. I put my younger cousin Troy to bed (reluctantly, to say the least) and stayed up with Taylor, the twelve year old. Finally, after a long discussion about the horrors and trials of the middle school social scene, she finally drifted off to sleep with (hopefully) some renewed confidence in her own ability to rise above the mean girls and the bullies.

A very wise woman once told me that 7th and 8th grade are, across the board, terrible years. No one at age 35 looks back and says "gosh, what a great time! I wish I could still be in middle school!" I wish I could shield Taylor from the next few years of awkward, dramatic and often brutal social scenarios, but I know she'll come out stronger and better for it. She's about to start growing in ways she can't even imagine. She's got the double threat of intellect and looks paired with a very sweet nature, making her an obvious target for those girls (and boys) looking for someone to take down. All I can do is tell her it will be ok and try to be there for her as much as I can.

I didn't really consider what it would mean to have my family close by while in college. At first, I would see my relatives every couple months, just to check in and hang out with the kids. After the first few visits, I started to babysit more regularly and come over every couple weeks. Not only was I becoming more involved with the kids and their lives, but I was able to spend more time with my Aunt and Uncle and use them as a true source of support and love. I didn't expect to have such strong support from my extended family while in college, but I am so grateful for it. I'm really going to miss them while I'm abroad.

Once the house went silent, I curled up on the couch with a few luxuries of the real world: a full fridge, a big couch, and HBO. A few episodes of True Blood later, I realized how different my life would have looked just a few months ago. I was supposed to be in Colorado that night, reuniting and celebrating the end of the summer. Instead, I was embracing my inner kid and fantasizing about driving a Giant Grape as a car and what it would mean to have 37 and a 1/2 children. This Saturday night of babysitting might not have been on my agenda, but sitting there in a laugh-induced coma surrounded by people I love, I didn't want to be anywhere else.

One week left in LA. That was fast :D

Transitions

It feels like every time I figure out a really good routine, I have to change it. My mother told me recently that I'm not good with transitions... she might be right. I tend to get anxious and start reaching out for anything solid or stable.

I've finally got this whole living alone thing down, mostly from trial and error. For instance, if I don't plan out my meals, I'll end up buying and then wasting groceries. If I overfeed my beta simply because he has a large appetite, he will bloat up and die a perfectly happy obese death (alas, Jesus.) Also, if I choose not to get my car washed because I don't have time, I'll ruin my white pants when I attempt to close my car trunk. If I choose to spend a Saturday night at my apartment, I better be armed with books and some basic activities or I'll end up with a container of ice cream, sad playlists or a slew of Alias re-runs, and some really fantastic (later regrettable) text messages. Lastly, you can't go see every single movie currently in theaters or you'll end up bored on a Sunday night with no options except the movie about talking Gerbils. Oh the things you learn when you have to be responsible.

What I'm trying to figure out is how I'm going to develop a routine in Shanghai. The most daunting aspect of living in China (for me) is that no matter how many months I live there or how good my Mandarin gets, I will NEVER blend in. I'm 5'2, blonde haired and blue eyed. It's just not going to happen for me. The most I can hope for is that people will take me seriously... but even that's a stretch. I guess that's the fun of the experience. I'll be living in the "Paris of Asia," full of culture and life, so who really cares if I ever find my niche?

Maybe it's not about finding a niche. Maybe, for the first time, it's about not being attatched to anything and simply floating for awhile... we'll see.

Starting the countdown

I have a little over a month before I get on a plane for Shanghai.

Last night, while enjoying summer tapas with Chloe, I couldn't help but wonder what's coming next. We were talking about the future, about what our future summers will be and what we want to do with our lives (though seemingly heavy dinner talk, this is pretty typical of Chloe and myself.)

Last weekend I went home to hang out with my wonderful parents and ever-supportive friends. I've always found that my best mirrors are my friends and family, because when I'm with them I can see myself not as I am, but as was and how I could be. I went home because I was tired: my work week had consisted of heavy projects and long hours and emotionally I just was, as Chloe so accurately put it, coming apart. So, I jumped on a plane and headed back to my refuge, filled (as always) with parental love and home cooked food. I saw both Kate and Zoe for lunch that weekend. The best part about coming home to two of my closest friends is that no matter how hard I try, I can't hide what's going on with me. I sat next t0 these two girls who know me inside and out, and I could no longer ignore the mess I'd let myself turn into. I needed the reality check.

The beauty of still being in California is that I can unashamedly go home for weekends. There will be so many years in the future where this is either not possible or no longer acceptable, so I figure I'll enjoy the years of running home to my family while I still can.

I also joined a more intensive gym class. I swear, this breakup weight is going down. I will no longer be haunted by the four pound ring sitting gently at my hips, reminding me of the late Saturday nights with my two breakup companions: cookie dough and Trader Joe's raspberry sorbet. I admit this is a common occurrence in my post breakup routine: relax and eat, let my body heal itself, and then get angry. Angry not at the person, no, but angry that I can physically see someone's damage on me. This anger forces me to kick my butt into high burn mode, often in the form of a kickboxing class or a new training routine. It's a vicious cycle, but it works.

These past months in Burbank have been incredible to say the least. Working a full time job has given me a new appreciation for the lovely and previously overlooked luxury of summer. I've spent countless summer hours at different camps, thriving in the fresh air and enjoying some time away from the rest of the world. The change of pace has been great, and I can't say how much this job has meant to me. In more ways than one, this job saved me this summer. I've got a few more weeks to savor this slice of life, but I'm really excited to pack up my Mini and drive back home.

... But now back to real life. I have about a month to get myself together before I get on a plane, and my Mandarin is sadly become a bit rusty ( 9 hour days plus workouts don't leave much energy for the ever-wonderful Chinese character memorization.) This next month is just going to have to be whip-into-shape time...here we go

Living my own, grown up fantasy

I think we all have ideas about what it means to be a "grown up."

...In middle school, I would sneak Sex and the City episodes (for which I would be eventually caught) and fantasize about living a glamorous, single life like that of Carrie Bradshaw. I imagined days filled with lunch dates, impossibly stylish size zero outfits, and late nights running around New York City. To my thirteen year old self, life as an "adult" meant freedom, fun, and zero accountability (accompanied by endless funds to pursue all my wildest material endeavors.)

Well... here I am almost 7 years later. Things are quite different.

First, Carrie's shoes are expensive, painful, and rather impractical in the California heat.

My summer days are filled with phone calls, meetings and projects. I adore the experience, the work and the people. Working in Entertainment can be incredibly glamorous, especially when it involves premieres, presentations to clients, going to show tapings, and driving around the Lot. Of course, there are days when I get to be like any other intern, organizing portfolios and making copies. One of the biggest perks of this job is that I am surrounded by incredible role models. These women (and a few men) are professional "working" people; tirelessly devoted to their jobs. My bosses are both single, intimidating women who pursue success relentlessly. Castilleja would be so proud. Not only have I traded a fictional character for real women, but I'm choosing to take my summer freedom and put it to work in exchange for invaluable experience. I thought the thrill of just getting this job would be the highlight of my summer... but that was truly just the beginning.

Size zero is another story. Even living in a city where superficiality is as standard as the smog I breathe, I refuse to give up food. I refuse to drink black coffee as a meal, forgo pasta, or turn a cliff bar into a daily supplement. Would I love to be that non-existent size of my once coveted idol, but I must settle for six day a week workouts and healthy eating. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and accept that health, not beauty (though that's nice too), is all you can do for yourself.

Am I grown up? Hahaha absolutely not. However, I'm getting there. I have a lot to learn, plenty of mistakes to make and hopefully some lucky breaks along the way. I'm not living the Carrie Bradshaw fantasy; I'm living my own. I pay my credit bills in full, I frequent Whole Foods instead of Nordstroms, and I treat myself to long phone calls with friends and novels versus the wild New York all nighter. Tame? maybe. Happy? most of the time. Worth it? hell yes.

What I guess I'm beginning to realize is that with this new self-accountability comes a sense of personal pride and high self-expectations. Though I could choose to simply "get by," I choose to work and live in pursuit of something far greater: fulfillment. Life isn't about living the Carrie Bradshaw dream. Life is about never settling for those things you know you can have... life is about wanting more than a picket fence and great photos. Well, I don't know if that's what LIFE's about, but it's what I'm planning.

The Beginning

Next year is going to be a big year. In less than three months, I plan on packing up my life and moving to Shanghai, China. I plan on living, travelling, and learning in China for the coming year. Not only will I be abandoning the comforts of familiarity, but also the luxury of being close to my family and friends. I am trading these comforts for new opportunities, potential life-long friendships, and the chance to change my life.

This year, 08-2009, has been huge by itself. I started college, fell in and out of love, learned how to be happy, and started over. To date, have spent almost one full year in Los Angeles, California. After a year of school at the lovely Pepperdine University, I somewhat unexpectedly chose to stay in LA. I decided to stay over the summer and purse an internship at Warner Bros. as a Media Marketing intern for some of the most incredible people in the entertainment industry. I set out this summer with no big plan. I just followed an opportunity to something I dreamed about only months ago. I hit the ground running and take every day as an extraordinary gift. That's what I'm currently doing. Alongside my ever wonderful and incredibly supportive roommate-best friend Chloë, I am slowly yet surely becoming an adult.

I hope to use this blog to keep my friends and family at home updated on what I'm doing this year. I'm starting now so that I can chronicle the preparation, experience, and eventually the conclusion to this journey.
I'm happy to say, this is only the beginning.