Super-Affordable Food

dinner for four: five large dishes
initial price - 135 RMB = $17.50
after 100 RMB promotion - 35 RMB = $4.50

lunch for one: two small dishes
2 RMB = $0.25

Don't Be Offended

• if cars don't stop for pedestrians

fearless pedestrian

• if people sitting behind you on the bus don't let you out of your seat first
  
• if hostesses seat you before the table is cleared
• if people cut their fingernails in a restaurant

yes, that is a nail clipper

• if little kids pee on the side of the road
• if men blow cigarette smoke into your face

The Ultimate Chinglish

Overheard on the first day of training at the lab:
chinese chinese chinese kinesin light chain chinese chinese chinese dimerization chinese chinese chinese protein construct chinese chinese chinese knockout mice chinese chinese chinese...

no more worries about not being able to do research!

Settling In (part 2): Cell Phones

after bombarding the China Mobile salesperson with questions, here is what I deduced about cell phones. thought it might be helpful for some of you =)

basically:

1. buy a phone or bring a phone capable of switching out SIM cards: phones range from 400 RMB to 2000+ RMB. if you're bringing your phone, make sure it's unlocked so that you can use a Chinese SIM card. you can either call your US provider for an unlock code (specific to each phone model) or find/buy a code online.
2. buy a phone number: prices range from 60-120+ RMB, depending on the digits. 4's are bad and cheap, 6's and 8's are lucky and pricier. you choose from different numbers if you want to use it your phone only in Beijing or nationally (see below)
3. buy a charge card: money from the charge card gets loaded onto the phone and is deducted when you make calls. if you run out of money/minutes, just buy another charge card.

some options offered by China Mobile:
if you want to use your phone...

• in Beijing only (ben3di4 本地）: comes with local Beijing SIM card purchase
• nationally (man4you2 漫游）: 3 RMB/month. handy if you plan on traveling and want to use your cell phone elsewhere. you have to tell them this when you buy your number, otherwise you'll have to get a new number if you get a Beijing number and then want to switch to national. must buy a package (see below).

packages (tao4can1 套餐)...

• pay-as-you-go：0.60 RMB per minute for calls made/received, 0.10 RMB per text sent, no charge for texts received
• package 1 (minimum package with the national plan): 10 RMB/month, 0.25 RMB per minute for calls made/received 9 am-9 pm, 0.12 RMB per minute for calls made/received 9 pm-9 am, 120 texts included, 0.10 RMB per text sent after that, no charge for texts received
• package 2 (only in Beijing?): 20 RMB/month, 0.20 or 0.25 RMB per minute for calls made, 500 minutes for calls received included, texts unsure (I assume 0.10 RMB per text sent, no charge for texts received?)
• package X: there are lots more out there. There are variations on package 1 with different number of texts included (200 texts for 15 RMB, 300 texts for 20 RMB, etc.)
  

some of the details are a little fuzzy, sorry! I brought my phone (found the unlock code online) and went with the national option and package 1. my dad has package 2 with the local Beijing option. happy cell phone shopping, and don't forget to send me your number =)

Urban-Rural Divide

Life Science Park is tucked away in the northwest corner of Beijing, beyond the high-rising technological centers of Shangdi, farther than Longze, the farthest subway stop, down narrow pothole-ridden roads, past rural farmland, rundown storefronts and produce-peddling peasants, until you reach a wide expanse of paved highway. The government has decided to set up research and development parks here, the guarded acres of manicured lawns and modern buildings housing state-of-the-art labs flush up against the sun-beaten fields in which the 农民 toil. Only two bus lines service this area; most who work here commute in private cars, most who live here travel by rickety bikes. The minibuses run sporadically, held up in the little town whose Main Street is barely wide enough to accomodate two cars. The bus drivers are reluctant to give a travel time from Shangdi to Life Science Park. It depends, they say, one car can hold up everything. Finally, they concede. 20 minutes - on a good day. 20 minutes, to traverse this village skipped over and forgotten by the modernization movement, trapped between the most forward-thinking districts of Beijing.

First Day in BJ

Just some random musings while running errands this morning.

• I thought I'd be okay getting around, but at the police station and bank, I was totally lost (and I speak Chinese at home! ) Maybe it was the Beijing accent? I'm hoping it's just the bureaucratic lingo that I didn't understand.

• The cash economy here is kind of frightening. When I was at the bank, this woman ahead of me took out tens of thousands of RMB, perhaps more. At Bank of China (and I think most banks in China), the tellers are seated behind walls of glass, and you speak to them through mics. Everyone else sits in the waiting area with their numbers waiting to be called. Unfortunately, the mics are really loud, so you and every one else can hear what's going on, including the stacks of bills flying through the money-counting machines. After she's done, the woman just gets up and carries it out in zipper-less tote bag!! Apparently, people take out cash to buy cars and even houses! I wonder if the Chinese are nervous about carrying so much cash, or if they just accept it as it is.

• Beijing is a lot cleaner than I remember. Still dusty (I have a feeling I'll be wearing glasses more often than not), but it was sunny today and you can see the sun! The sky isn't exactly cobalt blue, but it could pass for light blue with a grey-ish tint. So much better than five years ago, when you couldn't see more than a few miles on a "clear" sunny day.

• There are crosswalk buttons! Few and far between, but they exist now! So today, instead of jaywalking, I pushed the button, but then there was a police officer who jaywalked in front of me, so I just followed him...haha.

Settling In (part 1)

Visa
Instead of getting a student visa, I still had one entry valid on a 90-day two-entry tourist visa, so I just used that. It was okay with both IUP and the Chinese Consulate in New York. I'll have to renew it in the fall, but supposedly that's not difficult once you're here.
Packing
I brought one large suitcase and one GIANT duffel bag (and I mean giant). Granted, some of the stuff was for family and family friends, so I'm not ashamed admitting how much I brought. Some key items: hard contact solution, purell, sunscreen, pepto bismol, toiletries (somehow, I find even the American brands in China don't compare to what you get in the US so I just brought my own).
Arriving in Beijing
My dad picked me up at the airport, which was quite convenient when it's 10 pm and you don't know where you're going. My suitcase rode shotgun since both bags wouldn't fit in the trunk (the cabs here are kind of small).
Housing
I'm living with my dad in Shangdi （上地), one subway stop north of the university area, until IUP starts. Then, I'm moving in to an off-campus apartment near Wudaokou (五道口). At IUP, you can live in foreign student dorms, with a host family, or in on-campus or off-campus apartments. I thought about just living with my dad, but realized I probably wouldn't get as much out of it as living on my own, so I opted for an apartment.
The IUP office has been sending out e-mails from current IUPers who want to sublet their apartments, so I just e-mailed one of the girls and voila, I had my apartment. It was super easy. I'm actually taking over Megan McLaughlin's room (she was at IUP on Light this spring). Sixth floor, without an elevator. This is what I've been training for all year living on the fifth floor!
Registering with the Local Police Station
Technically, all foreigners have to register with the police within 24 hours of arrival. Most hotels do this for you and I'm assuming most programs, too, but since I'm living with my dad this month, I had to do it myself. And by myself, I mean with my dad, which turned out to be quite helpful because there's all sorts of paperwork involved (all of which is in Chinese). IUP has information to help you, but my dad has already been through the process, so he just took me. I'll need to change my registration once I move into my apartment, so next time, I'm attempting it on my own!
Opening a Bank of China Account
Again, dad was instrumental. All the paperwork was in Chinese and I couldn't understand half of what the teller was asking me. I did recognize the words for signature (qian1zhang1 签章）, and understood that she asked for 15 RMB (I think 5 was to open the account and 10 was the initial deposit). Tips: You want an ATM card (the lines for the tellers are ridiculously long), and an account that'll let you wire money from abroad (hui4hu4 汇户）. (The exchange rate is more favorable for money that's wired than cash exchange, although it takes a little longer. Bring some traveler's checks in the meantime). Also, be sure to change the PIN on your ATM card (they give you one in this sealed envelope), and cover your hands when entering your PIN (there are cameras behind and above you, and I'm pretty sure they can see the keypad).

Up next: a SIM card for my cell phone (apparently there are different kinds if you want to predominantly make calls, receive calls, or text?), wiring myself some money, random other things that I can't remember right now

I'm here!

A few flying tips:
1. Ask for the aisle seat in the middle section. Maximum freedom. Minimum disturbances (unless you happen to sit next to someone with an exceptionally small bladder).
2. Asians are always early to the airport, so to get a good seat, you either have to get there early or request it ahead of time. (I got to JFK a little before 8 for a 10 am flight and alas, no more aisle seats, so I had to be the annoying person with the small bladder.)
3. Japan Airlines is awesome (either that, or I've just been flying not-so-good airlines my entire life):
good food: yummy rice crackers for snacks, chopsticks and real silverware during meals, they even have their own "sky time" drink (not spectacular, but pretty cool nonetheless) and self-serve water fountains (I hate bothering flight attendants for water)
individual TV screens: at least 10 choices for movies and games (sadly, 9 hours into my flight, when I wanted to play virtual bowling, I got the blue screen of death - "Please wait while your game downloads...")
excellent service: surprisingly punctual, they speak Japanese, English and Chinese, and they have "lifting water" and "vitalizing lotion" in the very clean bathrooms
terminal arrival in Beijing: there aren't enough terminals in Beijing, so some airlines make you get off the plane and ride a bus.
very affordable: I booked through a travel agent (Happy NY Tours in Flushing), and JAL was about $300 cheaper than Air China and all the other airlines, both online and through the agent. If you don't mind a layover in Tokyo, JAL is definitely worth it.

So it begins

Hi everyone,
I'm off to China tomorrow, for a summer of language study at the Inter-University Program (at Tsinghua), followed by two months of research at the National Institute of Biological Sciences, both in Beijing. Hopefully, there will also be much traveling and good eating!

my schedule:

may 23: leave for China
may 28 - june 1: training at the NIBS
june 4 - june 12: traveling with family to Tibet
june 18 - aug 17: language study at IUP
aug 20 - oct 12: interning at the NIBS
oct 18: return to Connecticut