Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Part 1: An Ode to China

As all goods things, must, I suppose, come to an end, my time in China is finishing up.  It's been a little bit hard, very unexpected and completely out of my control, but I am very happy that I was able to return to China to leave my job and say my goodbyes properly.

Today, as I walked out of my job for the last time, a rickshaw cut me off, as they always do, and I thought, only three more weeks until I never see a rickshaw again.  And then I realized,  I only have three more weeks in China.  A favorite hobby of expats is to complain about the things we don't like about China.  Most foreigners don't do it maliciously, we make fun of it the way we would mock things about our own hometown, but it is a topic that bonds expatriates together and thus, it comes up a lot.  So, for the next few weeks, I am going to talk about all the things I have loved about China and my life here.  

1.  Music.  Everywhere.  All the time.  At this moment,  a fife or recorder is playing a lone strand of a sad, disjointed song.  Last night? Don't Stop Believing by Journey was being played on repeat, I think at the Naga Business karoke club/harem that I live next to.  At least twice a week, my heart suddenly gets heavy and I experience melancholy, caused by the serene chords Moonlight Sonatra drifting into my living room.  Music can be heard everywhere, at any time, in Beijing.  It was the first thing my mother noticed about China when she came to visit me. I love it, it is similar to putting the radio on scan and just waiting to see what random music will come on, only, all I am doing is walking down the street

2.  Transportation.  They just do it better here.  Trains? on time and cheap.  Planes? On time, and cheap. Buses. Horrible, crowded, but so cheap.  Bicycles with little motors? Scooters? Free and the best way to travel around the city.  I wish so much that I could go back to Beijing circa 1991, before Beijing had become gridlocked from all of the cars that no one here needs or can truly afford, but buy anyway. Also, fail all that? Cabs are fast and cheap, but come with the hassle of dealing with cabdrivers.

3. Huo Guo (hot pot).  What is that you ask?  Imagine that you are hungry, but too lazy to prepare anything.  So you make a spicy broth, and throw all of your favorite ingredients in it to eat.  Yes, I know it sounds like soup, but that is because I haven't gotten to the last part: you get to make your own sauce, and then take all of your veggies and meats out of the broth, dip it in the sauce and eat it.  It is, by far, the best winter food you could ever ask for.  Hot and broth-y to warm your chilled bones, spicy enough to open all of your pores and make your skin feel alive again.

(...to be continued)