The Land Down Under

The past four weeks have been nuts with travel to Australia, Hong Kong and Thailand, plus a slew of assignments, so I've been a VERY tardy blogger. I'm trying to play catch up now.

Hiking in Australia. 

When Leaders Come to Town, Beijing Puts on a Good Face

This week Beijing is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a big meeting of CEOs and world leaders. Obama is coming to town, Putin is on his way and John Kerry already has been here.

Beijing makes the skies turn blue for APEC. 

Losing face is a huge no-no in Chinese tradition and many individuals will do anything to save face. And that's just what the Beijing government has done leading up to APEC.

Scott bought (a new) moped

About a month after we moved here last year, Scott bought a used moped from a French expat for pretty cheap. He convinced me that it was safe, with helmets, and that it would pay for itself in a matter of months because he'd use it every day to go to work and sometimes on the weekends.

On our new purchase (don't worry, the helmets just aren't pictured). 

The First Year

A year ago today, Scott and I landed in Beijing on a sunny, polluted afternoon. I remember driving through the city, the drab buildings and Chinese billboards seeming completely alien. I feared I never would feel at home here and that all I'd be doing was missing New York for three, long years.

My very first pollution mask, circa Oct. 2013.

Rosh Hashanah in Beijing

Wednesday marked the beginning of Rosh Hashanah and I figured I needed to find a place to celebrate the Jewish New Year because I had skipped the past two years: last year we were in the frenzy of getting ready to move to China, and the year before I was days away from getting married. My Jewish guilt was officially sinking in.

The Expat (Work) Hours

It's a Friday night here in Beijing. In New York, I would've been relaxing at home on the couch or out grabbing drinks with some friends. Right now, I'm working and Scott is conducting an interview. Did I mention it's almost 9 pm?

It's not uncommon for Scott and me to work until midnight most weekday nights. That's because right as we're about to wind down, the U.S. is ramping up its day, meaning phone calls with editors or changes to stories start coming in around 9:30 pm our time and usually don't stop until 12 am -- and often later.

A Jaunt to Taipei

Last week, I flew to Taiwan to do a story for The Wall Street Journal. I had some extra time and spent a day in Taipei, the bustling, beautiful capital of Taiwan.

The must-see National Palace Museum in Taipei. 

Taiwan is so diverse, a narrow island with mountains in the middle and coastal cities around it. A friend told us it's one of the rare places where you can be on the beach and in Alp-like mountains in the same day.

Coming Home

After a wonderful week in the U.S., I made my way back to Beijing, via a 26-hour journey. When I landed, my legs and feet felt and looked like they belonged to an elephant, and I found myself having mixed emotions. I was ready to get back to Beijing, but I didn't want to leave the land of ease: of English menus and signs, of being able to chit chat with the CVS pharmacy clerk, of swiping my credit card instead of needing cash.

Reverse Culture Shock

Thanks to my generous parents, I was able to fly back to the U.S. last week for a family reunion. I was excited, but also nervous to go back to the states; it's been 10 months since we moved to Beijing and I didn't know what to expect on my first trip back.

When I landed in Chicago and stepped outside, the first thing I noticed was the air. It was so clean and fresh, with clouds and blue skies. The second thing I noticed: outrageous food prices. A banana cost nearly $1 (I pay that same amount for three of them in Beijing) and a bottle of water was $2 (typically $0.30 in China).

'Merica: Blue skies, clean air and turquoise water. Yes, please. 

Day Trip to Tianjin

Located about 135 kilometers southeast of Beijing, Tianjin is often thought of as the capital's sister city. When Scott told a colleague we were visiting there, he was told we'd like it, because "white people like that city."

Things white people like in Tianjin: A house made out of recycled pottery. 

Kunming, the City of Eternal Spring

We recently visited Kunming, which is the capital of the Yunnan province, in southwest China. The area is known for its dozens of minorities, who dress in colorful garb, and for its fabulous food, which doesn't taste anything like traditional Chinese -- think fresh mint leaf salads, dried beef with chilies and a lightly fried goat milk cheese called rubing.

Outside of Kunming, Shilin (Stone Forest)

Our New Nephew

A few weeks ago, Scott's sister Courtney gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Shaw. He weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces and was a whopping 22 inches long!

Welcome little Shaw! 

These are a Few of My Favorite (Chinese) Sayings

We're eight months into Chinese lessons and some days I feel I'm getting the hang of it, while other days I hear a conversation and don't recognize a single word. That said, I've learned some great phrases that nail the meaning of some things better than English words. Here are a few of my favorites:

Dan xin -- To worry. Dan mean burden and xin means heart, so if you worry, you have a burdened heart. So true.

Remembering Tiananmen

A few weeks ago, the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square student protests occurred. As a refresher, the protests happened throughout the spring of 1989 in Beijing and culminated on June 4, 1989, when Chinese troops opened fire on the public in Tiananmen Square, injuring and killing hundreds, if not thousands.

The aftermath of the student protests. 

Taking Zumba With the Chinese

There's something fascinating about working out with people from different cultures. The Chinese like ample stretching, yoga and lots of treadmill walking. Women like to wear the latest Adidas and Nike spandex tops and often don't pull their hair back, preferring their bangs to stick to their foreheads as sweat glistens on their faces. Many of the men wear sleeveless shirts and short shorts. They spend much of their time between weight sets playing on their cell phones and ogling female gym-goers.

Zumba in China. 

Memorial Day Weekend in Dalian

Scrolling through FaceBook this weekend, I got a little sad looking at pictures of barbecues, beach trips, clam bakes, hiking and other adventures friends embarked on during Memorial Day weekend. It's always such a great holiday, marking the beginning of summer and the abundance of outdoor activities, when the sun lingers for longer and everyone just seems happier.

Memorial Day in Dalian. 

Our Excursion in Vietnam

It's been way too long since I blogged and, well, for good reason. I was on vacation!

For 12 days, my parents, Scott and I toured Vietnam. We started in Hanoi, where we stayed at a quaint hotel in the old Quarter on a small street near Hanoi's Hoan Kiem lake. The streets of Hanoi are always buzzing and somehow it all works. The old ladies balancing baskets full of fresh fruit on their shoulders don't get run over by the thousands of mopeds, which artfully dodge pedestrians crossing the street. Everyone likes to pop a squat on the sidewalk, sitting in little pre-school chairs to enjoy a fresh bowl of Pho or play cards.

The bustling streets of Hanoi.

My Parents, the Mules -- I Mean, Our First Visitors!

In about two weeks, my mom and dad will be coming to Beijing, where we'll spend a few days before heading off for a vacation in Vietnam. Scott will then return to China and I'll get some much-needed one on one time with my parents as we head to Nepal for a conference my dad is attending.

Our expat friends have told us their visiting relatives and friends become "mules", bringing as much stuff as possible that they miss so dearly. This is our first experience with it, and bless my parents' hearts, we're asking for a ton of stuff. Below, a list of the random things we've asked for. Fingers crossed all of it gets through customs!

Natural peanut butter. My sister bought us two giant jars, which we can't wait to devour. Skippy gets really old, really quickly.

20 Signs You're an Expat in Beijing

It's hard to believe we've been here for about six months already! So in the spirit of BuzzFeed and the website's wildly popular lists, I came up with my own.

1. You begin to like drinking hot water

Because you're probably not going to get anything else except tea. And ensuring it's boiled means you won't get sick. 

Harbin's Winter Wonderland

Last weekend, Scott and I went with some expat friends to the city of Harbin, which is northeast of Beijing. The city, which was originally part of Manchu and then under Russian influence for awhile, boasts an ice festival that's literally unlike anything else: replicas of famous city structures (like Rome's Colosseum and New York's Empire State Building) and giant sculptures made out of ice and snow. Each structure is sponsored by a company (go figure) and has lights inside them to bring this winter wonderland to life.

Ice, ice baby. 

"Oh That's Different" No. 5

I've been delinquent with blogging lately! With the Year of the Horse, here's plenty more to observe.

1. No kitchen drawers. I've seen a fair number of homes now, from luxury places to hutong apartments and none of them has kitchen drawers for silverware! My silverware organizer sits on top of a wire rack in our kitchen and it drives me insane because it gets dusty and it looks ugly. I blame chopsticks; you can arrange chopsticks neatly in a cup and tuck it away in a cupboard. It's not as easy with forks, spoons and knives.

Perhaps I should invest in one of these and let guests choose their wares.

A New Year Temple Fair

So this is where all the people are during Chun Jie.

After those first few days during a long holiday, most people get stir-crazy and we hit that moment after three days. So on Sunday, we decided to do as the locals do and visit a temple fair, which is something many Chinese do during the spring festival.

Scott entering Ditan Park's temple fair.

The Year of the Horse (Xin Nian Kuai Le!)

On Thursday evening, Beijing started to shut down for the week-long national holiday of Chun Jie, or spring festival, the Chinese Lunar New Year. Millions of people trek back to their hometowns and there's a slew of gift giving, big meals and spending time with family.

The Year of the Horse!

A Singapore Jaunt, With Flesh-Eating Fish

A few weeks ago, I went to Singapore for some work assignments and stayed an extra day to celebrate my 32nd birthday. From the moment I landed, I instantly liked the city-state; people are extremely friendly and speak English, which was a welcome break from all the Mandarin I've been trying to speak. The roads are immaculate -- no people spitting onto the sidewalk, no trash on the streets, no smells of rotten garbage -- and the 70 to 80 degree weather in the middle of January was a refreshing heat wave for me. (I had to unpack some of my summer work clothes for the trip!)

Singapore: lush trees with skyscrapers.

The Chinese Learn to Ski

On a recent Saturday, we took a day trip with our friend Maggie to Nanshan Ski Village, a ski area about an hour outside of Beijing.

Like many Chinese things, Nanshan snow was jia de -- or fake -- and as we drove up to the village, a large white mountain seemed to appear out of nowhere in a landscape of brown-colored hills. We lucked out with the weather, though, and it was a sunny day with only light pollution.

Brown, brown hills ... and then a snowy peak! 

"Oh That's Different" No. 4

For the beginning of 2014, here are some other fun observations of mine.

1. Could you carry my handbag? It's quite common to see a young man carrying a hot-pink tote or a yellow satchel on the street. These aren't man purses, but the purses of the man's girlfriend or wife. I've heard Chinese men do this as a way to show affection. How chivalrous.
One day at the end of Mandarin class I put my notebook and Scott's books into my bag and our teacher frowned. She asked why Scott wasn't carrying my bag for me! I loved it, though Scott wasn't keen on the idea and only carried it once, just to make our teacher happy.

Honey, my handbag is really heavy ...

A Much-Needed Girls Day and Happy New Year!

Happy 2014 everyone!

Ours started off with a bang. We spent New Year's Eve with our friends Brittany, Brian, Maggie and Tom. We ordered pizza, played Catch Phrase (I lost it for the girls when I failed to give good clues for Joss Stone) and danced in our apartment. Chinese president Xi Jinping even graced us with a televised address shortly after midnight. Maggie got an awesome photo of it and has a great caption:

Maggie: "Xi clearly in need of some holiday champagne."