Cultural Exercise

First off, thanks for all the emails! I LOVE getting them. Time has been a little limited in Beijing, cause we want to get out and do everything...but I am hoping that tomorrow on the 4.5 hour train ride north I can get some sent out, or sometime shortly after getting to Shenyang. So, I just wanted to say I've been getting the emails, loved hearing from everyone, and will reply soon. :)

The last few days in Beijing have been awesome! We have all very much enjoyed traipsing around the city, trying to get by on our non-existent Mandarin and the limited phrase book that we have, seeing the sights and getting a large dose of an unfamiliar culture.

A few highlights have been...
*Exploring Tienanmen Square at sunrise.
*Going out to a hot-pot restaurant for lunch, walking in, and have everyone just stare at each other...completely clueless of how to order or what to do. Thankfully, there was an English menu for us tourists and we had a great meal. [I am regretting not learning how to use chopsticks sooner!]
*Being a minority, getting to wander alleys, look for ATMs and just smile and nod when people try to explain things to me. I can't wait for Mandarin lessons when we get to Shenyang!
*Today, we spent all day exploring the Great Wall. It was a 3 hour drive out to Jinshanling, and then an 8K hike across the wall to Simatai, and a 3 hour drive back, but it was amazing. It was a great workout, that's for sure, but it was absolutely beautiful scenery, overwhelming to realize how much culture and history was around us, and a great time to just be with other people and get to experience something so unique.



Lindsey, Shaun and I hiking along the Great Wall.



It's been a good cultural exercise being here...adjusting to a culture so very different than my own. As we head out of Beijing early in the morning tomorrow, it seems somewhat surreal that I am not headed back to Portland/Phoenix to share all of these stories that we already have with everyone. I am both excited and anxious to get to Shenyang, and I am sure I will have lots more to tell you about settling down into what will be life for the next 6 months. I miss you guys. I hope everyone has a good New Years Eve..crazy that it is 2009! Lots of love.

Better Internet..

The internet is working better today, so I figured, while I had the chance that I would upload some pictures from the first day in Beijing. Our hotel is right behind the night markets, so last night we wandered the around and street food from the market for dinner.

Food stalls at the night market.

Today, we had planned on going to the Great Wall...well, we never found the infamous bus number 6 that would've taken us there. But, we did master the subway system, explore random parts of Beijing that we would've never found, ate an awesome lunch at a food court we stumbled into for less than $3 each, had an indescribable browse through the Wal-Mart Super Center, and spent the afternoon at the Olympic Park. All in all, it was a great day and I am definitely excited to spend New Years Eve here and head up to Shenyang on the 1st.

Shaun and I in front of the Bird's Nest at Olympic Park.

It's been a blast to just be here, I feel like I am walking around like a child in a toy store, wide-eyed and trying to take everything in. It is so great to get to experience such a unique culture.

Hope you guys have a good New Years!

We're Here!

So, I am on a somewhat shady internet connection and had to navigate Chinese characters to get this page..but, just wanted to post that we made it to Beijing and explored the city a bit last night and this morning and are headed to the Great Wall today. It's so refreshing and good to be overseas again! :)

Leavin' on a Jet Plane..

Tomorrow is the big day! I can't wait to be on the airplane from Vancouver to Beijing, and know that there is nothing else on the to-do list, nothing else to be packed, but now just to sit back and wait until we get to Beijing!

Hopefully, from here on out, I will be updating my blog more regularly and trying to keep it up to date with pictures and stories. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and enjoyed the white Christmas for those Oregonians out there. :)

"All my bags are packed...I'm ready to go"

World AIDs Day..

So, if you've been around me long enough, you know that I will rant about things that make me mad. Injustice is definitely one of them, and AIDs is a huge form of injustice.
As first declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1988, December 1 marks World AIDs Day.

Here's some quick stats regarding AIDs..
*AIDs is one of the world's largest pandemics that needs to be addressed
*32.9 MILLION people live with AIDs
*8 of the near 33 million are children and youth
*And, 2 million die annually from AIDs

As most people know, the pandemic is running rampant in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to BBC, "One in four women in Sub-Saharan Africa is HIV positive by the age of 22". So, as a 22-year old woman myself, if I lived anywhere in Sub-Saharan Africa there is a 25% chance that I would be infected with AIDs. How different would my life, and the lives of those close to me, be?!

But, I think what makes me more mad than AIDs itself, is the implications of the disease. So..32.9 million people die of AIDs every year, how many orphans and widows does that leave?! Who is going to take care of these children who's mother and/or father died of AIDs? In his book, The End of Poverty, UN economic advisor Jeffrey Sachs, recalls his visit to a Kenyan community where there were virtually no men to maintain simple repairs to the houses and school in the village because all had either died from AIDs or were too weak due to their current fight with the disease.

The popular thought regarding the reasons why economic development has failed in Africa is pinned to corruption of government leaders. Now, I am not at all going to say that corruption hasn't negatively affected economic development, but, come on. If 67% of those affected by AIDs live in Africa, how can much development occur if we first don't address the pandemic? "There is no sense talking about market reforms in Africa if you have an AIDS pandemic raging…If you can’t control disease, you can’t have economic development" (Sachs). AIDs in Africa is undoubtedly destroying both economic growth and human capital, creating even larger needs and letting other forms of injustice thrive.

And, unfortunately, AIDs isn't just affecting Africa. This is a world-wide pandemic that we are facing, and we are all responsible to do our part in this fight.

Children playing outside at an AIDs orphanage in Aizawl, in north-east India (BBC).

I don't say any of that to be depressing, or to ignite guilt, but rather to motivate and show that this is real an it needs to be addressed..so, DO SOMETHING! Educate yourself, we all know that there is so much more that each of us could learn about what is going on in the world. Read a book regarding AIDs, be an advocate, tell other people, donate your money, your time, or any of your resources, show compassion, pray, seek justice.

Lots to be thankful for..

Thankful: Conscious of benefit received. (Merriam-Webster).

After this weekend, I realized there is a lot that I am thankful for..
..Lots of encouraging emails and texts in response to letting people know I am moving to China.
..Getting to spend the last few months enjoying the fall weather that only the Pacific Northwest can offer.
..Meeting awesome people up here, and some of whom I get to travel to China with.

..Spending various weekends with long-time friends that either came up from Tempe, or down from Seattle and Spokane (and seeing one somewhere in the middle).
..Knowing that the day I get back from China I get to spend the following two weeks with my sister and brother-in-law.
..The adventures to come, the lessons to be learned, people to be met, and the opportunities to be taken in the coming months in Shenyang.
..And mostly, getting to spend the last three months with my parents.

I am sure that I have intruded on their empty-nester lifestyle, and sure we get on each other's nerves, but in the last three months they never ceased to be gracious, make all my favorite food, and overly sure that I am ok and have everything I need. I am very thankful for all that they have always, and continue to do for me.


Maybe this minute blog post could show a fraction of that gratitude.