CHINA I

BLOG CHINA.

The flight from Bangkok to Beijing was a milestone in my life. My heart pounded for four continuous hours, tears fell periodically and the butterflies in my stomach were intense. Basically, I was terrified.

Having lived in bustling  Bangkok for almost 5 years, I would never have guessed China to be as crazy as it turned out to be. The Chinese culture at a glimpse is so different to anything I have ever come across. My week in China started off with an isolation period called  quarantine. Our quarantine procedures took place in a small town 2 hours outside of Beijing and a 5 minute walk to an infamous part of the Great Wall. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served on metal trays, and usually consisted of watery rice and salty celery-- definitely something new to try out. With 55 other American kids, quarantine was ironically extremely fun; I got to know my classmates, ran up and down the great wall everyday, participated in team building exercises, took tests for our Chinese and math classes, visited temples, started class etc etc. Ultimately, quarantine was fun. However, ever since I had landed in China, all I had wanted to do was to move into my Chinese host family in Beijing.

Two days ago, we left our quarantine location and headed for Beijing where were were given a tour of our Chinese High School, received our uniforms, ate lunch in a local restaurant and last but not least, were handed over to our families.

It was basically an ineffable experience and I was seriously overwhelmed. I sat anxiously waiting to find out which smiling Chinese family would be mine. I was nervous, and yet extremely excited. This was the start to a new chapter in my life, and I just hoped I would have the most amicable of all families!

And then the moment came... my name was read out, and I spotted my 'mama' (mom) waving to me ecstatically. She hugged me so tightly that I thought she would never let go. But after a few awkward minutes, my 'baba' (dad) shook my hand firmly, and urged us to go home. The rest of the China tales begin here.....

So now, I sit here on the edge of my window, overlooking the city of Beijing. i have just eaten a plate of delicious peaches and a red date yoghurt drink which was to die for. My room overlooks a beautiful park which I can barely see right now because the skies are always smoggy here, and the sun struggles to come out. In the kitchen, my mama is cooking noodle soup and dumplings, and my baba is urging me to watch TV with him. My Chinese little sister (mei mei) is not home yet. It is 6 o'clock and she is still studying at school. One thing i have learned is that the Chinese are extremely hard workers!

This morning I had a Chinese test, and at breakfast today, my mama, baba and meimei hovered over me, quizzing me on my words. I ride my bike to school everyday and luckily the traffic is not too crazy, and i'm still alive. My Chinese High School is about 20 minutes by bike- so i wake up at about 6:40. When i get to school, i have to walk up 180 stairs. It is VERY tiring! 

My friends here are all extremely nice. They are also incredibly smart and determined to be fluent in Chinese. My teachers are excellent, especially my Chinese ones. There is a no- English policy in Chinese class, which has become very amusing. Today is the 2nd day at school, and I am already loaded with homework from all subjects. I get about 150 new chinese words every single night, which i get tested on the following morning. It's intense.

This weekend is a "closed weekend", which means i am not allowed to communicate with any of my classmates. I have to spend every minute of it with my family. It will be fun and possibly frustrating because of the language barrier. However my family here is super nice. My baba is so funny, and my mama is very hospitable. I find it very amusing that my mama is on a diet and refrains from eating anything but watermelon!

I'm sure there is a lot more I could tell you, but for the time being, i think this is a pretty reasonable update. If you want to email me, it is best to email me at
antivita@gmail.com, because facebook is blocked here and it is a pain to get on.

Miss you all. :)