August is (Almost) Over

Since I have been back from China there have been a few things to report, but on the whole life is settling into a routine, as I guess it always does. When I first got back I was notified that a company wanted to interview me, which was thrilling, and so I rushed out to buy a new outfit and shoes, dressed up and on Friday the 18th interviewed in person with the HR director, 4 different people of different ranks within the company, then the HR director one more time. I thought the interview went well, I sent off my thank you notes when I got home, personalizing each one and trying to once again ingratiate myself to those who would be making the big decision. Then Monday I had a writing test, which was stressful to say the least. I thought I would be correcting a few sentences of something, and instead I was asked to write a press release announcing that I had been hired to the company, and I had 1 hour to complete it. The press release had to include a quote from me, the CEO, have a subheading, be no more than two pages and I forget the last mandate, but it was like OK.....GO! And I was off, dashing out a fictitious press release in 62 minutes, stressed that I was going over the alotted time, then realizing two seconds after I had sent it that I missed two major typos. AAAHHHH!!! So of course I corrected them and resent it, hoping that they would forgive me the haste and read the second draft instead. Hey, we're only human and when am I ever going to really have to dash something like that off and not have someone else read it to catch those things first? Anyway so then I sent it in and waited. And waited. And I still haven't heard back! So in the meantime I have been talking to other companies (doing pre-interviews over the phone) and have another interview I scheduled yesterday-for next Wednesday! And this is the first phone interview, so if it goes well then I am sure there is another interview down the road...I swear, these companies all say they really need people, then they drag their feet and I feel like at this rate I will maaaybe have a job by December! So I am applying to be a substitute teacher in the meantime, because I really thought I would have something by now and instead it's like the slowest process ever when it comes to getting jobs etc. and I need a little income. This process also hinders me from being able to sign any kind of lease, or make any kinds of real plans, because I never know when someone will call for an interview and I have to be ready and able to go. So there's the update on my life (what there is of it anyway).

Other updates, I just finished reading the book Under the Banner of Heaven, the story about the history of the Mormon church and the Fundamenalist sect that practices polygamy. I had actually just seen the movie Banking on Heaven, the story of Warren Jeffs-who has been caputred, thank God (no pun intended)- when my book club shose this book to read and I have to say, it was a really eye-opening novel. I recommend it because I learned so much, though as the staunch feminist I feel I am it was maddening, terrifying really, to hear about the awful crimes against women that this fundamentalist church practices. We as Americans look at what happens to women in the Middle East and think they are so oppressed-well Mormonism is based on may of the same beliefs and ideals as the Islamic faith. It is incredible that the things I read about are happening in this country, that the government has not stepped in sooner (though there are good explanations why they haven't, and actually they did try in the early 1900's) and, shockingly, that we as taxpayers are funding this practice, ableit unknowingly, thanks to the church elders and their practice of "Bleeding the Beast," manipulating the government and committing massive amounts of welfare fraud. So I guess you already know how I feel about it, and I want to clarify that the fundamentalist sect is not representative of the Mormon church as you and I know it, although some of the basic beliefs were also pretty interesting but I suggest you read it yourself and come up with your own conclusions.

I also saw the movie Quinceanera yestrerday, which was probably the first prolonged interaction I have had with Spanish speakers since I returned to California. That's embarrassing, considering how many Spanish speakers live here, but the truth is I really am not friends with any native Spanish speakers or if I have friends who are fluent, we speak in English anyway. I am sure I have lost some of my Spanish, which is sad, so I try to have the conversations that I already have with myself in Spanish, instead of English. The movie was really good, I recommend it, though you could probably rent it, it's not one you have to see on the big screen. On that note, however, I feel like the smaller movies are the ones you should go see, because I feel like it supports the right people. Screw Tom Cruise etc. and all their big-budget cronies, go see the little guys.

I also bought new running shoes, and have started running again, which is really exciting, because so far I am injury free, which I am hoping lasts. I love to run, it is really good thinking time (in Spanish, as noted previously) and it also gives me a chance to check out what's going on in the neighborhood. Not too much, actually, we live in a pretty boring (read: nice and pretty, not a lot of action-more retirees than radicals) town. And that's the update for today. Perhaps more later, or tomorrow, seeing as I don't have a whole lot else on my plate for now. Oh poor me, life consists of sleeping in, going for a run, emailing, knitting, watching movies and going out every now and then. But I truly am wishing for more! Keep your fingers crossed for me, will ya?

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China Photos

Photos Continued

Shanghai

In Shanghai we checked into the Regent, the fanciest of the hotels we are staying in on this trip. It is really luxurious, and I thought we were really high up here on the 40th floor, til we decided to go to the Hyattt and the rooms only START on the 54th floor! It's the highest building in the city, apparently.

Before that we spent the afternoon in the shopping area where Dad and Ian got custom suits made. Thsi place is so nice-you pick out the fabric, have three fittings and, since it is being shipped, the suits are being hand-carried, flown to the states and fed-exed there so save taxes and extra charges. Cool. Then we went to a tapas bar for happy hour and afterward went to the Hyatt like I explained before. The original plan was to go to the bar on the 87th floor but there was a drss code and Ian was in flip-flops, so we tried to go to the observation deck but the line was really long so we are going back tonight. I can't wait to see this city from above-it is so lit up and colorful at night it's almost like Vegas!

This morning I went with Jan and Janet (Mom is sick and Ian and Dad had a fitting) first to the Bund, a big street along a canal that runs through the city and really divides it into the new and the old parts of town. Then we went to China Town (Not kidding!) where we shopped around for all sorts of things-it's really just a huge tourist trap and the prices weren't even that great... then we went to a Buddhist Temple where the Jade Buddha is kept- a Buddha carved from a single piece of jade 2 meters high. There are no photos allowed but it was really beautiful, made from a light jade and decorated in gold and jewels. Really stunning. After that our tour guide, Maggie, promised to take us to a knock-off store she knew about. We walked down a street, then down an alley, through a garage and up three flights of stairs at the back of an apartment building where she had to knock on the door a few times and announce us before we were let it. Then we walked in and there was a room full of designer jakcets, from Burberry and Dior to North Face and Columbia. The next 3 rooms held wallets, purses, watches, umbrellas, sunglasses etc. of every top brand you can think of. Wow. Maggie had the hook up!

After lunch where we met Dad and Ian we headed down the famous walking street to the Bund, crossed under in this little tunnel that is hard to explain-kind of a car ride with all these lights and neon signs etc. then came back to the hotel to cool down and get ready for dinner and an acrobatics show.

The acrobatics show was held in an auditorium by the Ritz. There were two escalators and about a million American tourists herding into this room. We were a little late, as that evening was Jan's dinner and we were taking our time with the birthday cake and everything-you can't rush a celebration! But once we sat down we were totally engrossed by these performers. There were flips and jumps and leaps so high we were sure someone would walk out with a broken neck. There were contortionists and tricks in the air on ribbon (my favorite). Some of the performers looked to be about 9 years old, but the average was probably more like 15. Still, it's incredible what these little people can do with their bodies. We were really impressed-definitely a highlight.

Then after the show Dad and Ian and I we to the Hyatt-finally! We went to the first elevator which took us to the 54th floor, then the next took us to the 84th floor, and the third elevator let us off at "Cloud 9," the bar on the 87th floor. Talk about being up high! It was an amazing view. The decor is kind of industrial, so there are big exposed beams throughout covered in rivets looking very New York, actually, and then there are tables all around that look out over every inch of the city. We sat and had drinks-I tried a watermalon margarita...yum!- and then around 11 we headed back down to get home and to slee. Before we left I wanted to get a photo in front of the building, as I had seen other people doing, since it looks like the whole thing just fades into the sky and it's really cool. So Ian was there with the camera all ready, and was trying to get the pose jsut right, when I noticed something weird. He took the picture and I turned around-he had taken the picture at the exact moment that the hotel turned the outside lights off! So I had a picture and all that was behind me looked like black sky! What timing! Luckily Dad got a shot of the building, but seriously. What are the odds?

Anyway, Monday we got on a plane and arrived back home the next day, Monday again. It went by so fast but it was a really really great trip.

Soo Chow

So after the cruise we were met by Kevin, our 5 minute guide, and driven to the airport, where we flew to Shanghai in buiness class-so nice! Too bad it was only an hour! And we got the same food as everyone else, which consisted of pickled vegetables and menthol gumdrops. Ew. We then had an hour ride to Soo Chow where we arrived at about 7:30 at night. We checked into our hotel and went out to dinner, but it was really frustrating. We were on "bar street" so there were a million places to choose from, but no one speaks any English, so we were reduced to hand gestures and it is very hard to explain menu or food, apparently, so at that point I was at HALT so I went back to the hotel but the fam went out to Korean or something. The hotel we stayed in was cool, but the beds posed a problem. The next day we learned that the harder the bed the better made it is, according to local custom, but for the other ladies in the group it was a bit like the princess and the pea, or Goldilocks perhaps, and a bed made of wood just wasn't comfortable.
Anyway then we headed out to see a garden which was beautiful, and which has a twin (replica) in the Met in New York. That was interesting and a really beautiful spot. We then went to a silk factory where we saw the production of silk from the worm to the comforter. It was really amazing, but the most incredible thing is that here in China labor is so cheap that handmade silk is cheaper than machine made! We also learned that Chinese people sleep on pillows filled with silk worm poop, because it is cool and smells good. We saw the production line with women working with all these spools of silk-it takes 8 coccoons to make a single strand of silk. Then there are looms that make the actual fabric. The hardest color to produce is yellow. But at the university scientists are messing with the genes of these worms to try and make them produce colored silk straight from their bodies! That wacky DNA!

After lunch we came to Shanghai where we checked into our hotel and had the afternoon to explore.

The Yanghtze River

We have been travelling on the Yanghtze for three days, and today we finally sail into our final port and fly off to Shanghai for the end of our tour. The last few days have been great. Yesterday we sailed down a tributary on a large boat then took a smaller boat down a small gorge and were serenaded by the local boat people as we watched the scenery go by. Then we went off down the river and through the 3 gorges that are so famous. The first is the most spectacular, the second is most beautiful, the third is most dangerous because of the narrow passageways and threat of landslides. We made it through them all (whew!) and then went through 5 locks to get down 113 feet to the other side of the damn and down the rest of the river. This morning we toured the damn that is being built and will raise the water level 60 meters in the next three years, wiping out many homes and villages. It's pretty crazy to think about all that we see being underwater from October til the end of time...??? The damn spans a mile and is 185 feet high, and will in the end take 17 years to build. It was really foggy so we didn't see it in all its magnificence, but it's still a pretty impressive feat. The boat is about to cruise on down to the next stop and from there we rush to board a plane and get on with the tour. For now I am going to try and cram everything back into by bag before the porter comes to haul it away...

Ghost City

Today we were up at 7 and eating breakfast in a mad flash in order to get into Ghost City by 7:45. We had the choice to take a ski lift or walk up the mountain on the stairs, so I took the stairs and in the end was up before Mom and Dad and te rest of the group at the top of the mountain. At the top there are temples where, years ago, a few men fed up with the corruption in government went to set up a temple where they could pray. It became known as a holy area and people began coming up to the top of the mountain to pray for themselves and their loved ones. The belief is that when you die the spirit goes to this city to be judged and sent either back to earth reincarnated in a new form or to hell. There are a bunch of scary statues to deter people from behaving badly, showing them their fate if they are bad, and there is also a doorway to paradise and three gates to cross, representing wealth, health, or marriage. You can only cross over one, and whichever you choose supposedly will bring you that in this lifetime. I was so sweaty it was incredible, but I was still able to enjoy the stories our tour guide, Bonnie, told.

It was a really neat tour and then we got back to the cruise which is nice and cool. I will be inside for the rest of the day, I am sure.

Chungqing (Chung King)

What can I say about this city? It's HOT! I am on board the luxurious Victoria Cruiser which we will be riding the next few days -in style!-thanks to a mix up and subsequent upgrade that has landed us on a fourth floor suite. Sweet!

We got in at the crack of dawn today to a city full of buildings and skyscrapers, far larger than anything I had imagined. We were immediately struck by how hot and humid it was (isn't that a recurring theme!?) and were bused to the local zoo where we saw one panting, totally overheated panda doing that sprawled-on-a-cool-floor maneuver favored by many dogs in the California heat, and a tiger similarly seeking a shady refuge, and I felt so at home amongst mi gente-the shade hunters! (I am notorious for parking in whatever sliver of shade I can find and will drive way out of the way to find it...) We also saw a hippo out of the water, the biggest, ugliest animal I have ever seen! It was pretty cool.

Next lunch followed by a trip to a big city center and then to the supermarket where we saw chip flavors we had never imagined-Cucumber, Italian Beef, Melon, Braised Pork...we went with International and Hot and Spicy. There were lots of other things there whch were pretty much indescribable, and the names hardly helped translating, so we stuck to the familiars. I am chewing blueberry Extra which is, well, fruity!

Like I said our digs on the cruise are very nice, so we are planning to spend the next few days relaxing, sipping drinks (dying to try the Slow Boat To China) on our balconies and watching the Chinese scenery pass by.

At night Dad, Ian and I went to dinner with our guide, Jamie, and had what was probably the best meal of the trip. The place we went was so fancy! The other ladies were too full or sick of Chinese food, but that meant we got to try some really hot dishes recommended by our guide. It was cool. We also got to see Chunqing at night, which is really spectacular. The whole city is in the mountains and overlooking these different rivers, so the place lit up was really magnificent. Then that night as the boat sailed away we got to see the whole city from the water. It was awesome.

Xi'an Day 2

Last night for dinner we went to see this show, it was amazing! There were musicians, dancers, singers and we saw the most famous pan-piper in all of China. He made his instrument sound just like a bird. The costumes were beautiful and the whole show was really breathtaking!

Today we went to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. The warriors were created 2000 years ago and discovered in 1974. They were built to protect the emperor after death. He started the project when he was 14 years old and it was finished 38 years later, and took the work of 740,000 men to built the tomb. The terra cotta warriors are incredible because every soldier in the army was represented, so every face is defferent and looks identical to a warrior at the time. The tombs cover 67 square kilometers and have all sorts of chambers, from military planning rooms to slaves quarters etc. The craziest thing is there were lots of Indiana Jones-style traps and false entrances to the tombs. In order to protect the last tomb where the emperor really was kept, all the laborers who worked on that room and knew the truth were taken to another pit and buried alive, so as to keep the secret. The other amazing thing is that the emperor was buried in his chamber which was made completely waterproof, and was buried with thousands of lamps burning. The reason for this was most likely to strip the room of oxygen which would preserve all the gold and metals and paintings etc. buried with him-keep from oxidizing. The emperor was a madman, but maybe a crazy genious, too.

Then we went to get some famous Chinese foot massages. Ok, these are called "An Hour in Heaven," and I have to say that's not too far from the truth! It starts with a bath in chinese herbs, then a rub down of each foot that goes on for about 25 minutes on each. This feels amazing, but the funniest part was how we were in a room with six and they would all be slapping our legs or hitting them with wooden mallets which would sound like this band going on while our feet were starting to tingle... Then they went out of the room and returned with warm stones for our bellies. Then we turned over and they rubbed our backs. Finally we sat on stools and they rubbed our necks. The finale was to have us lay back onto their knees and they hels our armsout spread-eagle and jiggled their knees under our lower backs for a minute. It was the strangest thing ever, and the best was that my brother got this tiny girl and he was like "I'm not sure," and she's like "It's OK," and all I hear around me is "Relaaaaxxxxxx" which is just cracking me up, then, winded from the work my masseuse finally said "Finish!" at which point I was free to go. Tonight we are staying in the relax mode, packing up and getting ready for our flight out tomorrow morning followed by a cruise down the Yanghtze River. More details to come...

Xi'an

Well we made it here after getting up at the crack of dawn this morning. Beijing was totally fogged in but we took off anyway, I guess that's just how it is for all of summer, so the pilots are used to flying in very low visibility. We got into Xi'an at about 10:30 and were met by Robin, our new guide, who has proven to be super-talkative and loved American colloquialisms, like "Stop, are you trying to butter me up?" and "I know this city like the back of my hand!" He also tried out some redneck jokes on us, which was hilarious, all before getting to the hotel to check in. This city is really beautiful and much greener and cleaner-looking than Beijing. We went to see the city wall first after checking into the hotel, a big sturcture beautifully preserved and that many people choose to bike around or see from a rickshaw. It was so hot we really only stayed a short bit before going off to lunch, followed by the jade museum. We learned about the different types and colors of jade, followed by a show of how it is cut etc. Our guide at the museum has learned English in China and practices by watching movies, so the things he can say most clearly are "Drop your weapons! We have the situation under control!" and "Stop the car! L.A.P.D.!" Hilarious.

After the jade museum we went to the history museum where we learned about the 4 main dynasties and saw artifiacts spanning the history of China. It was really interesting but we were all exhausted, so we are taking a break this afternoon to recover before the big dance show we are watching tonight.

It is really nice in some ways to be such a tourist, seeing the shows and learning a million things a day being bused from one site to another, but it is amazing just watching the culture and feeling like there is no way, even if I lived here, that I would ever get used to being here. For one thing, probably the most striking difference, is that the idea of personal space just doesn't exist. People push, cut in line, walk into your photo, run into you when walking, don't stop cars for you, it's really unbelievable. The bathrooms I already mentioned, but the kids before the age of 2 just don't have anything on. They cut out the backs and fronts of their pants and just let them go wherever they want, in the street or wherever. Then when they get a bit older they just crouch down on the street and go if they have to go to the bathroom. Wow.

Speaking of bathrooms it has been a running joke that for some reason Mom always gets the "Western Style" toilets and I always get the floor holes, no matter where we go, and every time she doesn't believe me when I describe the bathrooms. She's always like oh well I got a normal seat! It's driving me crazy!.

China-Beijing

So I arrived with the family in Beijing a few days ago, and so far I can tell you it is super crowded, hot, humid, exciting and impossible to drive without feeling like you are going to run someone over or be run over as a pedestiran! In short I love it. The city itself isn't exactly beautiful, but I am just in awe that I am actually in China! First day we saw the Forbidden City (not that forbidden as we were surrounded by about 10,000 people at all times!) and Tienanmen Square. The line to see Mao's tomb reached around the building and stretched all the way around the block, it was an incredible sight. At one point I stopped to buy something and lost the family-- I was sure I was going to have to join the national guard and take up residence here because in these crowds it is impossible to find anyone! Luckily I spotted them and a national incident was avoided... The places were cool, but the most shocking thing was the bathroom. I was prepared for dirty toilets, but I wasn't prepared for NO toilets! If you can imagine a urinal bolted to the floor, that's basically the toilet situation here. Stinky and not too fun, needless to say I will probably faint of dehydration one of these days, because I refuse to drink anything outside the hotel! Haha.

The next day we climbed the Great Wall. Now, that was awesome. I can't believe I have actually been on the Great Wall! There were tons of people and we were super sweaty so that was an experience, and it was really steep and quite a hard climb, something I didn't anticipate so I did it in flip flops! Then we did some sightseeing at the Ming tombs where we ignored the signs and climed all over the relics, then headed home for dinner. We had no idea of where to go so we were basically left by the taxi on the side of the road, then we had to cross the road. OK, I really don't know how to describe the drivers here other than just like those in Argentina, except here they don't stop. Ever. I am serious. We all watched, horrified, as our guide was pretty much run into by a car as he crossed the street, while the light was green for him to go! The car just didn't stop. Crazy. Anyway we made it, but it was a harrowing ordeal!

Today we went to the Gate of Heaven, where we first wakled through a park where people were playing games, tango dancing, waltzing, playing instruments, practicing opera, you name it they were out there doing it! Then we went to a market where we bought all sorts of goods-I got a pearl necklace for about 15 bucks and a Le Sportsac bag for 9 dollars. But the haggling it took, my god I was exhausted by lunchtime! Then we ended the day with a ride on a rickshaw. Highlights of the ride included Bar Street, a street literally lined with about 60 bars, and a tour of a typical house in the area-no indoor bathroom, they use a communal toilet and shower outside. Really different from home! Tomorrow we are on to Xi'an, where I am going to get a massage that I hear is going to be out of this world. Can't wait!