My Balancing Act

December 10th, 2008

My life these days seems to be separated into two halves, like ying and yang. One half involves me attending nursing school at a local community college, as I strive to obtain my nursing license and start my career as a registered nurse. The other half involves me working from a small office answering phone calls when I can, doing LiveChat on the China Study Abroad website, answering emails, and processing payments and applications. I am a student and a program advisor all at the same time. It gets quite hectic, as one can imagine. Nursing school is difficult enough by itself; the teaching staff suggests that students do not work while going through nursing school due to the large time commitment and the hours of study needed to pass the courses. Even though I am a fast reader and can absorb material like a sponge, I still need to put in hours of note-taking and studying in order to do well. Meanwhile, in the back of my mind, I am thinking about what emails I need to answer and what I need to tell my fellow program advisor and the staff in Beijing. I have even brought the company phone to school with me when I need to stay at school to study and answered calls right outside the library. Nursing school occupies my morning and afternoon hours on the weekdays. My nights are spent in the front of the computer, alt-tabbing between multiple windows as I try to organize all the information.

It is a busy life for me, but I am actually glad I am handling the situation. This is a good experience for me, as nursing is one of the most hectic jobs. Being able to balance my “private” life and my school life will serve me well in the future.

- Feng-Wei Hu, CSA Program Advisor

T. Boone Pickens

December 3rd, 2008

Today CSA was lucky enough to attend a talk at the Beijing American Chamber of Commerce with T. Boone Pickens, the world’s 369th richest man. His current net worth is estimated at 2.7 billion US dollars. Recently, he has been an advocate of alternative energy sources on a global scale, which of course brought him to Beijing. The students of CSA were lucky enough to be invited to this important talk, and we were also treated to a delicious American style breakfast. It’s hard to find bacon and hash browns around here!
Mr. Pickens’ talk, which was informative, sage-like, and even rather hilarious at times,
was much appreciated by all of us. He peppered his message about the global importance of alternative energies with various anecdotes ranging from his childhood to life as an executive. Whether or not we agreed with his political and ideological views, his perspective was greatly valued. More than anything, Mr. Pickens emphasized that the new global economy would be one in which the free market dictates that clean energy must happen.
During the question and answer session, our own student Alberto asked a great question about the viability of lower gasoline consumption in the U.S. because everyone needs a car. Mr. Pickens announced to the rest of the businessmen in the room that Alberto was the smartest guy in the room! In total, it was an edifying experience for all of us, and it seems that Mr. Pickens learned something from one of our students as well. We look forward to including more events at the American Chamber of Commerce for our CSA students in our regular itinerary of cultural, social and business events.

- Jason Coe, CSA Program Director
(Note: I wrote this in a blog from 2007 but I wanted to share the experience!)

My Busy Day

December 3rd, 2008

平实却多事的一天

不知道为什么,每到周末瞌睡虫就是多。10个小时夜眠后,我爬上了MSN。电话突然响起,造访人JIM告诉我,不能上网。奇怪怎么一大早成了女的了,可能昨晚睡得也不好吧。我自己也没有充钱呢。唉,说真的,睡眼朦胧,穿着睡裤去密瓜也不是第一次了,只是那个保安会多看你一眼罢了,呵呵!!

I don’t know why, but I get the sleeping bug during the weekend. After 10 hours of sleep, I signed into MSN messenger. Suddenly my phone rang. It was Jim calling me to tell me that his internet credit had run out. It’s strange how this morning I feel as though I’ve become a little girl, maybe last night I didn’t sleep well. I don’t even have enough money to buy more internet credit for Jim. Wow, even my eyes are still blurry, and while it’s not the first time I’ve worn my pajamas while going to Melon, the downstairs liquor store, the security guards always avert their eyes when they see me, haha.

A也在线,美美的聊了好一会,真的很享受。看着窗外一片风和日丽,最主要是今天没风,让已逐渐明朗的心情更加荡漾起来,我决定出行,好好收拾一周下来沉闷的心情。

A is on the line, and we chatted for a while, and it was really enjoyable. Looking out the window I see a beautiful view of the sun and, more importantly, it isn’t windy, and already the mood of the light is gradually rising. I decided to go out and pick up the pieces of my week and overcome the oppressive mood it had cast.

说好中午聚餐,小周可是要出血了。他们肯定没吃早饭。我呢,还是照例吃着我的早餐呗。该出发 了,可是突然外面刮起来沙尘,狂风大作,乱成一片。正在犹豫我该穿五分还是仔裤,天哪,我迟到了。还是轻装吧,偏要和它做对,看他能把我刮到哪,如果是太平洋的对岸才好呢。

I had agreed with Sophia to eat Lunch, and she had promised to pay so of course no one ate breakfast so that they could eat even more for lunch. But as a rule I always eat breakfast. We were supposed to leave, but suddenly a sand storm began to blow, and the angry wind blew throwing everything into disarray. Right as I’m deciding between trousers and jeans, my god, I realize I’m running late. I guess it’s best to travel light. I have to do as the wind dictates because he can blow me away, hopefully all the way across the Pacific.

在密瓜拐角处,我几近被强势的它压倒,一个踉跄,两个,咳…!!!. 多吃点,增肥吧,要不冬天就不好说了…….!! 一路颠簸,终于到了。还不错,人不是很多,也是新装修的,最美的是他们换了新的碟子,新装修。这年头就要这个。我们选了一张六人桌,够我们在一个小时之内长几斤的空间喽,哈哈!!!
Right as I turn around the corner of Melon, the wind blows me back! I stutter forward, once, twice, argh!!! I should eat more and gain some weight, if it were winter I wouldn’t stand a chance against this mighty wind! The whole way on the road, I get bumped and tossed but I finally get to the restaurant. Not bad, there aren’t that many people, and it was recently renovated, and they even bought pretty little new plates. This is what I want for the new year. We picked a table for six, enough for us to add more people to our gang within an hour, haha!

两分钟之后,我们开杀界了,桌上堆满了秀色,谁要他49自助呢。这要在西部或是小地方,那才叫壮观了。2分钟后电话响起,哈哈,一个大头居然把自己锁外面了。不知道是不是“定论”了–凡是生意场上的佼佼者,最不会照顾自己,没有办法,我的量不能和他们媲美,狼吞几口后,坐上CAB绝尘而去。

Two minutes later, we dug in, the table was stacked with a beautiful sight, who wouldn’t want 49 yuan self-service? If this were in the western or remote part of China, it would be called magnificent! After two more minutes, the phone rang again, haha, the big guy unexpectedly locked himself out. I don’t know if it’s the final verdict – in every business the ones with the most talent are the ones that are most unable to look after themselves. There was no way around it, my capacity for food consumption couldn’t rival theirs; I wolfed down a few bites and jumped in a cab to go.

哦,MY!我的钥匙丢在那个袋子里了,没办法,只好舍近求远去了华清。杰真是好心情,看上去真的很利落。还真是, 这种天气,这种时段还堵车,20块就扔了。好不容易到了文成,在进B座拐角的时候,风着实的大,我真的摔倒了,单腿脆下来,我挣扎着站起来,风啊,你真的让我敬佩,你的大手又顺势把我推倒
了。

Oh my! My key was lost in the bag, no alternative but to go far afield to Tsinghua. J really was in a good mood, and looked settled in as well. But still, in this type of weather and period of time traffic was backed up, 20 kuai thrown away. It’s wasn’t easy after getting to Wen Cheng, as I turned the corner at building B, the wind came up strong and I actually fell down, a fragile leg giving out. I struggled to stand up. Wind! I admire you, your big hand yet again took the opportunity to push me right over.

好不容易,电梯带我到了18层,看见学生那张温存的脸,我也顿时烟消云散。他的公寓也不是很FANCY的那种,可是真的亮堂。哦,不好,又一个电话来了,我已经迟到了,一路乐着小跑回到了富润,有人还等我送海外寄来的化妆品呢。她模式般的微笑让我的心情有点沉,为什么有些人可以把笑训练到这种境地,不明白???

It’s difficult, the elevator took me up to the 18th floor, seeing the student’s kind face, I suddenly melted away. His apartment isn’t one of those fancy types, but is quite bright and spacious. Oh, not good, another call came in, I’m already late. Through an enjoyable run I returned to Fu Run. Someone’s waiting on me to hand over makeup products sent in from overseas. Her model smile made my mood sink a little, why can some people condition their smile even to this circumstance? I don’t understand.

电话响起,哈,R说自己可以找到下埸的宾馆,多好啊,他太好了喔!!!爱死你!!!和友人走在华灯初霓的大街,心情真的靓,风也嘎然放慢了脚步,在这个没有车流的周六,仿佛一切都变得温柔了。北京深秋的夜晚,有多少故事在上演,有多少温情在传递,还有多少像我这种在都市中寻觅,流淌的边缘人呢…..??

The phone rang, hah, R said he could find a hotel for the night himself, so easy, he’s too great! I love you to death! Walking with friends on a street lighted by lanterns and a neon glow, the feeling was beautiful, the wind slowing our footsteps. On this Saturday without the flow of traffic, it seemed as if everything had become more gentle. On these evenings of Beijing’s deep autumn, how many stories are being played out, how many tender feelings are being shared, how many people are there like myself – here in the capital seeking and flowing on the margins?

夜幕中,柔和的风,熠熠的灯光,乍寒还暖的空气,人们缓缓的步伐让我想起了PGT尖刻却极具礼貌的一番措词,是那么的自以为是,高高在上,遥不可攀……! 风感谢你带走人们的悲情, 请把他们永远的带走,不要把他们匿影藏形。漫步,徘徊。吱嗄,一个争刹车,打断了我的思绪……!!

In the veil of night, the wind is subdued, glittering lights glow, and the air is still warm in the early winter. People’s slow footsteps make me remember P’s sarcastic but polite word choice, always considering himself to be right, setting himself above the rest, too distant to reach. Wind, thank you for taking away people’s sadness, please take it far far away, don’t hide it away. Slow steps, hovering here. Screech! Ah, a quick breaking car cut off my train of thought!!

~ 小谢
~ Jessica (translated very poorly by Laura and Jason)

Happy Thanksgiving from Beijing!

November 27th, 2008

Hey Guys,

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!! Working and going through with CSA has opened
a world of firsts for me but one thing I thought I’d never be doing in
a million years is organising a Thanksgiving Party!!!! I mean the Brit
guy organising a distinctly American Holiday?!?!?!  What’s all that
about?!

Been running around Beijing like a headless chicken (or should that be
turkey) for the last couple of weeks to find the ingredients to make a
good Thanksgiving for my first attempt. First thing’s first, it ain’t
cheap to do so seeing as most of the ingredients are imported and so
needed to head to specialist shops. See here at CSA there’s no expense
spared going all out for the students! Haha, I digress slightly! The
next problem is to find a turkey as ovens aren’t standard in Chinese
apartments and trying to order a roast turkey with stuffing and
cranberry sauce took some inventive Chinese and hand gestures indeed!!
Finally got it all together and just needed to put it all together.

So crunch time 5pm today saw all hands on deck as everyone pitched in
with peeling and mashing potatoes, rushing about buying last minute
snacks and party stuff which was great as isn’t that what Thanksgiving
is all about? Everyone coming together???! Several plates of turkey,
mash potato, gravy, cranberry sauce, bread, salad, pasta, chicken,
apple pie, ice-cream later saw everyone fit to burst!!! All seemed to
have a good time which was awesome, made all the hard work worth it
seeing 30+ people chatting and all having fun.

Thanks to the CSA crew for mucking in and proving that many hands make
light work! You guys rock! Also a special thanks to Denise for an
awesome pasta and fantastic Caesar salad!

Hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving!
Until next time. I’m off to sleep for the next few days!

Rob

Being A Program Director

November 2nd, 2008

Today, someone told me that I was the best boss that she’s ever had. A few months ago, another employee said the exact same thing to me. And it means a lot. I’m not bragging, okay, maybe I am, but that’s only because it’s so important to me. A lot of times I don’t really consider myself right for the business world because my priority isn’t to make a lot of money. Yes, making money is great, but I think it’s only incidental to the ultimate satisfaction which comes from making the people you work with, in this case customers, employees, and supervisors, happy. That’s a really difficult thing to live by because it’s pretty much impossible to gauge the happiness of those around you, unlike money which is absolutely quantifiable. But I have found certain aspects of this job very satisfactory; trust me it isn’t the money, haha.

I think that it only happens in moments, like when someone will say thank you, or when I am able to help or provide for someone. Most things in life are pretty thankless. The best example is my good friend Feng-wei. Because our company has been expanding, we needed to hire another program advisor, and Feng-wei fit the bill perfectly. So, I trained him and now he works for us! And the best feeling about this is that our company is able to provide for one of my close friends, who only a year ago was delivering pizzas for tips. And maybe the ultimate dream of entrepreneurship is to create a sort of micro-utopia in which the people that interact with or are a part of that corporation are treated fairly and with respect.

That being said, it’s been a tough semester. And lately, I’ve been feeling really down about things because we had to split off with a valued employee of the company. I consider this person a close friend, but it wasn’t exactly an amicable departure. I’m a pretty emotional person, and this has been quite a strain. However, I try not to mention it to people because I believe that it’s important to remain professional at all times. But sometimes, I wish that people could see that although CSA is a company, it is comprised of very human people. Every single person in this company cares about the welfare of our students and staff, and we take it very personally when students have needs that aren’t being met.

As a program director, I make it my utmost priority to be as fair as possible to each and every single student. I’ve done my best to reach out to students to let them know that I am more than willing to hear them out about every single thing, be it a word of praise or complaint. I also do my best to ask my employees about how things are going with them as well. However, I don’t have very thick skin so it isn’t always easy to remain unbiased and impartial, but I do my best. As I said before, what matters most is that students have a great experience studying abroad here in China.

Part of the reason we decided to start this staff blog was to show students and potential customers the human face behind China Study Abroad. And let me be the first to tell you, that the foremost goal of all of the talented people working at CSA is to further promote international education. We all could be making a lot more money working somewhere else, but we want to be here. We like you! And we hope that when you get to know us, you’ll like us too!

~Jason

End of An Era

October 31st, 2008

Hey Guys,

With changing of the seasons signifies the changing of times. This weekend was pretty busy taking new photos of some of the apartments to put up on the brand spanking new website!  Some of the old photos weren’t representative of the apartments on offer so new ones had to be taken. Anyways so I learnt our resident bossman Jason would be moving out of the Wen Cheng complex! I was like WHAAAAAAATTTTTT???!

This is the end of an era since as long as i’ve known him he’s been living there. As far as I’m concerned, Jason IS Wen Cheng! Gotten used to him being a stone’s throw away if stuff needed doing, randomness or just hanging out.  Especially with winter round the corner it’ll be a long chilly 15min bike ride to his new place!  Also his roomie has decided to move down there too but has gone hardcore and decided to live with a Chinese person to improve his Chinese! Wen Cheng’s gonna be a bit lonely now, what to do? No more random food ordering within the space of 5 mins.

Anyways off to class to be totally done over with a 95 word dictation….aak, the fun never stops!

Stay safe
Rob

您们好!

October 24th, 2008

Hey Guys and Gals,

Welcome to the new CSA blog page. I’m new to all this blogging and stuff and have no idea how this all works so might have to excuse me if I rabbit on a bit.

First of all let me introduce myself. I’m Rob and I’m CSA’s Beijing part time staffer  (also known as a dog’s body) altho at times it does feel like it’s full time!! Nah, it’s pretty cool as I get to hang out with the students and and have fun but only share half the workload!!! (hope the boss ain’t reading this!)

I started as a fresh faced CSAer, a raw recruit, wet behind the ears newbie and spent a year at Tsinghua studying Chinese.  Thankfully now I’m almost 2yrs here in “the ‘Jing” and loved it so much I decided to stay and not looked back. When CSA offered me a part time position I thought ‘hmmmm…..to find a full time job or keep the student lifestyle and work a bit???”  As you can tell I took the latter option!

Life in the ‘Jing is pretty cool with no pun intended as it is getting colder and colder here.  Time to break out the heavy coats, scarves, gloves and winter paraphernalia! Only thing they don’t prepare you for is the dryness and static! The static is evil!!!! I’ve never experienced so many electric shocks in my life. If there’s a gas leak in my apartment I’m so up the proverbial creek. I get it from stuff you thought you would never get it from such as the plastic casing of the tv, taxi doors, door handles, wood, furniture, taps, even water!!! You know it just becomes ridiculous when water gives you an electric shock!!! Guess a cool city can’t have everything. Maybe I need to invest in some rubber gloves….hmmmmm everything’s made in China nowadays, must be able to find a pair somewhere……..

Laters
Rob

Mai Huar

October 15th, 2008
I really had a fun time clubbing tonight. Before going out, I told myself that I had to relax and enjoy the fact that I’m in a completely different country gaining new experiences, one of which must be going out, drinking, dancing, and watching ridiculous people act like Jessica Alba in -Honey- because there’s a giant mirror on the wall next to the dance floor. (Yes, I actually watched that move, and yes, it was as bad as you imagined.) It was one of those great clubbing nights in which everyone is too drunk to worry about looking cool, especially the guys, and we ended having a good time and acting like a jackasses (always fun on the dance floor.)

The DJ was a bit eclectic. After playing about an hour of euro-house for “big fish/little fish dancing” (what you’re supposed to do with your hands when dancing to house apparently), he played “Sexy Back” which got me all pumped up. And then he played “Mr. Wendell” by Arrested Development. I hadn’t heard the song in years, but I was rapping along with the entire song while everyone stood to the side wondering what the heck we were listening to. The song itself tells a story about how the protagonist likes to get advice from a homeless man who goes by Mr. Wendell. The song has always resonated with me, and it was odd to hear it in a trendy night club in China, but it was weirdly prescient.

Afterwards, we all went downstairs to leave, and I stood outside smoking in the rain, which is practically why cigarettes were invented in the first place. While talking to a female friend, as usual, a woman approached me asking me to “mai huar,” which means to buy flowers. In Beijing, a lot of vendors wait outside of clubs trying to sell overpriced things to drunken people. Of course, I had no intention of buying flowers for anyone, let alone a dead rose for 10 kwai. But once my friend walked back inside, I started talking to the “mai huar” lady. I have an odd habit of asking Chinese people their life stories when I”m drunk. I always find their answers fascinating.

First she asked if I was Korean. I get that a lot, because I look Asian, but my accent is a little funny sounding. I teased her and eventually explained my background. I asked her where she was from because most of the street vendors in Beijing are actually migrant workers from other cities.

She has two kids, one 15 and one 12. They live in Henan with her parents and are in the same grade. She hasn’t seen them in two years. Her and her husband rent a small living space for 400 kwai a month (about 50 US Dollars), and she pays the rent by buying flowers in bulk in the morning, wrapping them in cellophane, dethorning them and selling them outside of night clubs. Her husband has a very bad heart disease and can no longer work, but they can’t afford take him to the hospital. She stays outside of the nightclubs every night until the sun rises and then walks home. Sometimes she can sell maybe four or five, which will be a decent enough night. Lately, Chinese people have been buying more than the foreigners.

After hearing a Chinese person’s story, I usually like to give them some money. I know that sounds really messed up, but I just like knowing that someone is a person—that they have a life and a history that resonates in a place that I am unconscious of. While she was talking, I figured that I would give her 10 kwai, but then she said something that just made me shatter inside, “life is so cruel, it’s better to be dead. If not for my kids, I would have been dead long ago.” And then she started crying, and then brushed away her tears and acted like it was the rain.

I felt horrible. I felt absolutely sick to my stomach. Everything that I deal with on a day to day basis seems so inconsequential in comparison. It was heartbreaking to have a middle aged woman cry in front of me, saying that she wishes she were dead.

And now I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop thinking about the inequity of life, how there will always be haves and have notes. I felt incredibly guilty that my life has been so fortunate. I’ve never had to worry about where my next meal is going to come from. Not everything is perfect, but my life is relatively easy compared to those who have to work hard just so they can send their kids some money in a province thousands of miles away. The history of humanity seems to contain so much misery, and my mind is always preoccupied with the mundane minutiae of a middle-class American life. I just felt so absolutely disgusted with myself. And more than anything else, I felt guilty for not being happy. It’s like a slap in the face to those who are less fortunate than I am when I feel that my life is not satisfactory. Every complaint, every slight, every misfortune seems like a mole hill in the face of the mountain of human misery.

And now I can’t sleep.

I know there aren’t easy answers to such difficult questions, but I really hope that I can live my life in a way that makes other people’s lives better. That I can somehow measure up, or even deserve, all of the wonderful things that have been given to me in my life.

I bought all of her flowers and sent her home for the night. It’s not in my budget, but I figured I could easily skip out on 100 kwai worth of food and booze—a ridiculously easy sacrifice. I hope that she’s sleeping right now, instead of waiting outside of a nightclub hoping some inebriated young man wanting to get some will “mai huar.”

After I gave her the money, she tried to give all of the flowers to the girls we were hanging out with. Everyone brushed the flowers aside because they are in fact, rather ugly and totally pointless. So we left the flowers sitting on a table. Imagining those forgotten roses sitting on a gaudy plastic tabletop underneath fluorescent lights encapsulates how I feel. Pretty soon, someone will walk by and throw them in the trash–all of her hard work, bundled up in cellophane, the hope for a better future for her kids who won’t have to basically beg people for money, lying in a heap ignored and forgotten by people like me. They are overpriced and ugly anyway.

-Jason

Squatting on a Train

October 15th, 2008
I finally did it. After traveling to countries on four different continents, living in Asian countries non-continuously for more than a year, I swore I would never have to, but my hand was forced this morning when riding the high altitude train from Xi Ning, Qing Hai to Lhasa, Tibet. I woke up; they turned on all the lights in every sleeping compartment and began blasting annoying public service announcements in mandarin and Tibetan; and I really had to go. Usually on Chinese trains there is at least one actual toilet on the entire train, typically near the soft sleeper luxury beds. I paced the entire train from locomotive to caboose but could not find a luxury sleeper area and the prized “ma tong.” Facing another 14 hours on the train, I realized that it was now or never. It was the last hurdle, the final straw. And wow, it was worse than I thought it would be. Thank god they had a handlebar to hold on to because otherwise, well, I don’t want to think about otherwise. All I have to say is that it’s horribly unsanitary and I can’t understand how people the world over do this on a normal basis. And despite washing my hands with soap for over 5 minutes, I still feel completely contaminated everywhere. I’m completely paranoid and keep sniffing the air for some smell. It’s driving me crazy. I don’t want to touch anything for fear that I’ll contaminate everything around me. (In case you didn’t know, the origin of the SARS epidemic was primarily caused by unsanitary conditions concerning fecal matter.)

I just got my first glimpse of a snowcapped mountain. It’s incredible. I’m used to seeing mountains that have snow on them, but this is different. Normally, it looks like a mountain that someone spray painted white. This looks like someone took white frosting and smoothed it over every crevice and ridge. On the highest ones, there’s not a speck of brown. Also, there are no trees at all. In fact, the entire time we’ve spent on the Tibetan plateau while in Qinghai and now here, we have yet to see a mountain with trees on it. I’m not sure if the altitude is too high or if there isn’t enough moisture. It’s rather dry up here, despite the snow. And while looking at the snowy mountains above and the clouds that seemingly have to crawl over the peaks like an obese kid doing hurdles, I wonder how long that snow has been there. It’s probably packed so tight that it’s complete ice like a glacier. Actually, looking at the way they’re coming down the mountain, I’m positive that those are glaciers, thousands of years of packed snow hanging off the sides of these relatively tiny mountains. We aren’t even close to the highest point on the railway. .

According to the train, we’re currently at an altitude of 4648 meters, and it’s 2 degrees centigrade outside. For those of you unacquainted with the metric system, that’s 17606 feet and 36.5 degrees Fahrenheit. We keep climbing and the temperature keeps dropping. Pretty soon, all around us will be pure white and our rails will be riding upon temperamental permafrost, kept at a consistent level by heaters and solar panels along the track. It’s the highest railway in the world and one of the most difficult ever to build. There are oxygen pumps all along the train next to every bed just in case of altitude sickness, and the entire train is pressurized like a But now it lets people like me that are afraid of squatting, access what was previously one of the most inaccessible and inhospitable places in the world.

My iPod just died, and I have a 48 hour train ride from Lhasa to Beijing ahead of me. By died I don’t mean it ran out of batteries; I mean that there is this weird iPod cartoon figure with X’s for eyes telling me to go to www.apple.com/support on the screen. It keeps making this weird I feel like my dog just died. I thought I was a tough guy. I didn’t succumb to altitude sickness, even on the way to Golog when we went on a mountain road that was over 19,000 feet high (jetliner cruising altitude is 20,000 feet). But now, I feel like a captain without a compass.

Well, here’s my situation in a nutshell. There are no real toilets. My iPod just died, possibly forever, and I will not have any of my music in China. I’ve got at least 2 and a half more days of travel left. It smells like the people in my train haven’t showered in a long time, and I can’t find my deodorant. Because the train is pressurized we’re not allowed to smoke anywhere on the train. However, there is a lot more good news: I’m going to be in Tibet soon. I like the company I’m with. I have pretty much completed shooting on the documentary and have about 13 hours of footage, but a few more interviews with the students would be good. We volunteered with Tibetan orphans in Golog, and we’re almost ready to start our full on CSA volunteering program. It doesn’t smell as bad in here as it did on the night bus from Golog to Xi Ning. I’m not sick anymore. And I have clean underwear. Now I just feel like a spoiled brat.

Sigh, I don’t feel any better. I still miss my iPod.

-Jason

Trip to Lhasa, Tibet

October 14th, 2008
Lhasa, Tibet
We all thought Lhasa would be cold. We were wrong. It’s outrageously hot, at least it has been for the last two days. Half of us have farmer’s tans, and the rest of us have farmer’s burns. Because we are so high up, there is less atmosphere protecting us from the sun’s rays. I’m sure it doesn’t help that the ozone is being depleted, but that’s an entry for another day. (Believe it or not, global warming has had a very tangible effect on the lives of nomadic Tibetans.) It’s mid-October, and instead of hawking winter coats, street vendors are selling fake Ray-bans. We were all worried that it’d be snowing and that we hadn’t brought enough winter gear. I’ve been walking around in shorts and sandals, but once the clouds appear and the wind starts blowing, the temperature drops at least 20 degrees. Undoubtedly, it gets devastatingly cold here come late November.

Yesterday we went to the Potala Palace, the traditional home of the Dalai Lama. It was incredibly beautiful and quite a climb. To limit crowding, they only allow 700 visitors a day. Moreover, they assign each group a set appointment time in which they are allowed to enter the temple. It’s quite understandable because some of the hallways and stairwells can be quite claustrophobic. Plus, it’s a welcome change from the crowding of the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City in Beijing. We had to book our visit a day in advance using our passports, which the doormen checked before we entered. It was quite a process. After we entered, they had us pass through a metal detector to make sure that no one had any lighters. Much of the temple is made of wood, very old wood, much of it dating back hundreds of years. A carelessly discarded cigarette could destroy a national landmark and the geographical heart of Tibetan Buddhism.

The walk up to the actual temple was quite a trek, especially because the air is so thin. It was worth the climb though because the inside is rather spectacular, and the view from the top is pretty incredible. Because many of the religious relics are very old, they don’t allow any photography or videotaping for fear that the flash could cause the colors in the paints to fade faster. I argued that video and non-flash photography wouldn’t hurt the relics, but they refused to listen. Even when we were outside on the veranda overlooking the city, we were prohibited from taking photos. Ou Xin tried and almost had his camera confiscated. So, unfortunately we don’t have any photos or video to show you from the inside of the temple, but maybe that’s a good thing. Now you have no choice but to visit if you want to see the inside.

Part of me thinks that their absolute refusal to allow any imaging inside the temple is an issue of sanctity, and in a sense I can understand that sense of inviolability. I mean, in front of the palace on the sidewalk, thousands of feet away from any of the statues and relics, there are Tibetans kneeling and praying. And it seems that there’s a certain level of respect that the caretakers of the temple want accorded to their religion, which I find completely understandable. It made me feel torn because I want everyone else reading this blog to see the incredible sights that we’ve been privileged to see. Although, once I was allowed to put down the video camera, I did feel freer to develop my own feelings and insights about the temple as opposed to trying to figure out what would look best on camera and constantly worrying about framing my shots. Despite the obvious commercialism and touristy nature of the temple, a sense of contemplation and sacredness transcended through it all. By the end of our tour of the temple, I felt a strong desire to meditate, which is something I haven’t done since I was a child. Perhaps the image that best encapsulates the feeling, which I unfortunately wasn’t allowed to record, is the cat that peacefully sat in the temple room with bronze models of holy Buddhist temples. It didn’t seem to matter that hundreds of visitors passed through each day, the cat just sat there calmly and allowed each visitor to pet her, as if she herself were just another one of the temple’s sacred and smiling Buddhas.

Anyway, the Potala Palace was originally built in the 7th century and was further expanded in the 16th century. It’s the centerpiece of the city of Lhasa, which is the capital city of Tibet. The valley is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and it’s quite an epic view. In fact, the Chinese government thinks so highly of it as a national Chinese landmark that they’ve placed it on the back of the 50 RMB bill. It’s easily the tallest building in all of Lhasa and towers over everything else, except of course the surrounding mountains. The night view of the temple is particularly enchanting because the entire structure is lit up, and on weekends they have a musical fountain show. It’s a little kitschy, but the regality of the temple itself shines through.

Well, I’ve still got a lot of Lhasa to see and a few souvenirs to buy for the family, so I’ve got to go. I’ll try to update more about the trip as soon as I can.

The Potala Palace
Jason Coe
China Study Abroad, Program Director