Look! Prehistoric tennis shoes!

Last week while Theresa played on the computer I was busy flipping through one of our many Beijing tourist books. I came across the Beijing Museum of Natural History and read that there were dinosaurs and dissected human bodies on exhibit. I knew this was the perfect place for me.

The scariest part must have been all of the unnecessary mutilation occurring right before our eyes. There were ostrich egg-stealing-monkeys, hungry lions, angry T-Rexes... It was a very graphic day, indeed.

Animals in China are portrayed a lot angrier than in America. Everywhere we looked there were animals ripping each other apart. Even though they didn't seem to be peaceful exhibits, the museum was pretty cool. It wasn't the Smithsonian but it was a good time had by all.

We made it to the bottom level for the shock of my museum-visiting life... Dead people. Dead women. Dead men. Dead babies. Brains, stomachs, intestines, hearts, genitals, lungs, and more. It was a gruesome sight. I am not going to lie- it made me feel a little ill. But, it was also super cool.

Get to the exhibit by following:

Sperm. Yes, sperm. Just follow it on through.

Cozy inside of a womb.

Preserved dead man

Brain

And because I know you have really been missing my fabulous video diaries... Here ya go:

Enjoy :)

Mandarin lesson:
Kǒnglóng 恐龙 (dinosaur)

It's Turkey Time!

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. First - my family who has supported me through this crazy adventure called life. Thank you for being here for me even when we are so far away. Second - my new friend, Theresa. This girl has for real been a life saver in this country and is the most perfect roommate. I lucked out in getting T to experience this with. Third - my best friend, Jessi, who is always here for me to talk to, complain to, cry to, laugh with, and then some. And fourth - my experience. Even though not every moment is filled with glee, I am so lucky to have been given this opportunity. China has changed my life, my outlook, my perspective. The people here are so loving and accepting. I have really been blessed this year (so of course, thanks be to God who makes this all possible).

Theresa and I celebrated Thanksgiving (yesterday since we are in the future here) by taking the day off work just to hang out. We slept in a little and watched some movies. We got in a workout and did our grocery shopping. I drank the most delicious Gingerbread Cookie Latte at Costa Coffee. After spending the day together we journeyed out to the Renaissance Hotel for a delicious evening dinner. I overate for sure and stuffed myself to the brim. My dessert plate literally overflowed and my smile was just as grande. It was so great being in a room full of Americans again. We listened in on conversations and even had a small one with the diners next to us. We took many trips to the buffet and thoroughly enjoyed our American-style Thanksgiving. Here are some pictures (mostly of food):

Turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, bread, ribs

Delicious pumpkin soup!

Creme brulee, berry cake, pumpkin pie? (not great), brownie/cupcake, berry stuff

Two very satisfied laowais!

Mandarin lesson:
Tǔ'ěrqí 土耳其 (turkey) Nánguā 南瓜 (pumpkin) Mǎlíngshǔ 马铃薯 (potato)

Christmas in Beijing

First off, no, I will not be seeing what Christmas actually looks like in Beijing. Considering I will be coming home for Christmas (in approximately 29 days, but who's counting?) I will not see the capital on actual Christmas. However, last night as Theresa and I rode the bus home from work we passed by some pretty bright lights resembling a Christmas tree just outside of our mall. Once we got closer we realized the lights were actually a snowman inside of a tree with the topper "Lucky Christmas" twirling on the head of the tree/snowman. I hope this is only the first of many signs of the season to be seen.

We have our fingers crossed that we will come across Santa somewhere in this city so we can sit on his lap and ask him for some gifts.

Speaking of holidays... Thanksgiving is only four days away. I am pretty bummed to be spending my first Thanksgiving away from home. Theresa and I have reservations at a restaurant in the Marriott. We are also taking the day off work to celebrate the holiday. I can't wait to eat lots of turkey! I am also hoping for sweet potatoes and home-made rolls. If they could be teleported here from my grandparent's kitchen that would be nice, too.

Mandarin lesson:
Gǎn'ēn jié 感恩节 (Thanksgiving Day) Shèngdàn jié 圣诞节 (Christmas Day)

Chinese Cooking Class 101

We were invited to a coworker's house last night to be shown by her mom how to cook some of our favorite Chinese dishes. We have learned a few things about food since coming to China. One, they put ginger pretty much in everything. Two, they always use a wok to cook and a "cleaver" to cut. Side note- you have to wait for the wok to heat (it will start to steam) before you add the oil. And, three, there is no such thing as measuring. Therefore, while you are reading my recipes conjured up from last night's lesson please know that I (mostly) have no clue about how much of something was used.

Our lessons started with one of our most favorites... green beans.

Ingredients:
Ginger, Capsicum* (numb balls), Oil, Beans, Ya Cai*, Soy Sauce, Garlic (4 cloves)

Prep Work:
Slice ginger, chop garlic (they smash the garlic with the cleaver and then chop), wash and break green beans into three pieces

Directions:
1- Fry ginger, capsicum, and beans until the green beans turn to a dark green
2- Add ya cai
3- Pour in some water
4- Cover wok with lid
((If the beans are still hard after boiling in the water, add more water and wait for it to evaporate))
5- Once the beans are soft, add garlic and soy sauce

*Capsicum (aka numb balls) are little black balls that will numb your tongue if you bite into them- do not add many to your dish.
*Ya Cai is pretty much impossible for me to explain so here is a link

Next up was Chinese egg and tomato (Which may be my all time fave)

Ingredients:
Tomato (3), egg (4), leeks, soy sauce, sugar (1T), salt (1t)

Prep work:
Slice tomatoes, beat eggs, chop leeks

Directions:
1- Add 2x amount of oil
2- Fry eggs
3- Add tomato
4- Once there is water from the tomato- add soy sauce, sugar, salt, and leeks

Dish three was what I will call Popeye's Spinach (no one knew how to say spinach so they explained by saying Popeye and then making muscles)

Ingredients:
Spinach, ginger, salt, MSG*

Prep work:
Wash and chop spinach

Directions:
1- Boil spinach then remove from wok
2- Fry ginger
3- Add spinach, salt, and MSG

*I probably would not use the MSG but that is just me personally...

Our next dish was more China eggs

Ingredients:
Eggs (5), ginger, garlic (3), green onion, sugar (1T), vinegar, soy sauce

Prep work:
Slice ginger and garlic, chop green onion. Mix the ginger, garlic, green onion, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a bowl.

Directions:
1- Fry the eggs (do not beat- fold them until cooked)
2- Add the ginger mix
3- Add more soy sauce if it is not salty enough

We ate a lot of veggies! Our next dish was Lotus and Carrot

Ingredients:
Lotus root, carrot, capsicum, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar (1T)

Prep work:
Chop the lotus root and carrot

Directions:
1- Fry the capsicum
2- Add lotus and carrot and let fry for a minute
3- Add soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar

The meat dish for the evening was pork ribs

*I am going to write this recipe a little differently because it was kind of confusing and I am just not sure of an easy way to explain it...

Ingredients:
Ribs, garlic, ginger, green onion, capsicum, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar

Directions:
1- Boil ribs in wok
2- Remove from wok and place in pressure cooker with garlic, ginger, green onion, capsicum, water, and salt
3- Let cook for about an hour
4- Remove and throw out all ingredients except for the ribs
In wok:
5- Fry ribs
6- Add soy sauce (2x's around wok) and vinegar (1.5x's around wok)
7- Add 3T of sugar
8- Add 1.5 cups of broth from the pressure cooker
9- Place lid on wok and let boil until the water evaporates
10- Add more vinegar and soy sauce and some chopped green onion

Basically we had a seriously delicious, authentic, Chinese dinner. Malinda and her family were so welcoming and great. I am lucky to know them, for sure! This just goes to show one more example of how loving the Chinese people really are. I am happy that something I get to bring home with me is the knowledge that the people of China are compassionate and warm. I know that Americans tend to think of Chinese people as lacking heart or being cruel. This is definitely a false perspective.

These are obviously people with heart:

Top to bottom: Vivian, Theresa, Āyí*, Bella, Herby, Malinda, brother, me

*Āyí means auntie- this is what Chinese call their friend's mothers, house cleaners, teachers, or basically any woman who deserves respect. It is totally precious and endearing and I wish America used the same word!

This is Malinda's little brother. He was our in house entertainment.

Mandarin lesson:
Chǎo guō 炒锅 (wok)

Yonghegong Lamasery

Malinda and I about to go into the Lama Temple

((Thanks to Wikipedia  for helping me learn some of the history of The Lama Temple))

The Lama Temple is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. We were fortunate enough to be given another beautiful, blue-skied, Fall day to enjoy the temple yesterday. Building of the temple began in 1694 and it was originally used as a residence for court eunuchs during the Qing Dynasty. In 1722 half of the building was converted into a lamasery while the other half remained an imperial palace. It wasn't until the death of one of the dynasty's emperors that the palace officially became The Lama Temple that we (somewhat) know today.

There are five main halls in the temple: The Hall of the Heavenly Kings, The Hall of Harmony and Peace, The Hall of Everlasting Protection, The Hall of the Wheel of the Law, and The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses. We weren't technically allowed to take pictures inside of the halls. I understand but it was hard not to be photo-crazy. Inside each of the halls were rows of people kneeling in prayer and burning incense to leave their wish with the gods. People also knelt outside of the halls prior to going in to also pray. Malinda said they are mostly wishing for good things to come their lives. Apparently the larger the smoke from the incense burning, the more likely it is for your wish to come true.

People praying outside of one of the halls

The pot that everyone puts their incense in after their prayer

Each of the halls houses different buddhas. The future Buddha, or Matrieya Buddha, is believed to come to Earth in the future to teach the Dharma  after it seems people will have forgotten it. The Buddha of the future appears three times at the Lama Temple. Once in The Hall of the Heavenly Kings, in The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses, and again in The Hall of Harmony and Peace. There are also many other buddhas. One being the Bhaisajya-guru, also known as the Medicine Buddha. People pray to the Medicine Buddha to bring them health or their loved ones health.

I am not sure which Buddha this is... But it was the only one I managed to sneak a photo of.

The Lama Temple seemed to bring many Buddhists from around Beijing and China who were wishing for good fortunes. Malinda said she thinks most of them do not actually practice Buddhism but instead maybe their parents do or they simply want to wish for better things. It seems to me that people ask for many things from the different gods. Although I find it interesting it was also a little silly to me. But, hey, most religions do seem silly when you are not a believer. I am happy that we were able to experience a little bit of the religious side of China.

Spinning this is supposed to bring you good things

A bowl similar to a wishing well. There was some money thrown into the pot.

All-in-all we had a great day at the Lama Temple. There aren't many things left on the old Bucket List. We are hoping to do some more exploring next week.

In other news, we only have 40 days until coming home in December. We even made one of those Christmas countdown things to count the number of days left before our return to the states!

Mandarin lesson:
Yōnghé gōng 雍和宫 (Lama Temple) Xīwàng 希望 (wish) Qídǎo 祈祷 (pray)

798 Art District

If you remember I have been here before. But Theresa and I decided it was time to hit up the art district again today and what an excellent decision that ended up being! We spent most of our day outside exploring the area. We tried to go down paths that we didn't get to last time. We saw some very interesting things.

I know this is highly disturbing and inappropriate and that you will never lose this image... However, I had to share with you the true nature of Chinese art.

I met this very nice man in a store window. Please excuse Santa's reflection... He couldn't help but appear in many 798 pictures.

Excuse me, is this seat taken?

Speaking of Santa Claus... He was everywhere today. I must say that it was a pleasant surprise. Seeing as I am somewhat of a Christmas freak.

My favorite part of the day was enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. It got pretty chilly when the sun started going down but before hand it was quite the party!

Getting ready

It's definitely Autumn around here

798 is maybe my favorite place in the city. It is beautiful and rustic with this totally modern and industrial feel. I know that is kind of an oxymoron but the place is hard to describe. There were a few couples doing engagement and bridal photo sessions. It is basically a photographer's heaven. Street after street after street of art work fills dozens of blocks. There are sculptures inside and out and the aura of the place is so laid-back. Theresa and I talked about how there is such a difference between Beijing dirty and 798 dirty. Yes, there is construction and noise and a few piles of trash in the alleyways of 798 but you can actually smell the weather and breathe in happiness while pondering the galleries. I mean, it SMELT like Fall outside today. Usually in Beijing it just smells like "turtle water" and sewage goo. Yes... those are scientific terms. You wouldn't understand unless you've been here. 798 is such an open space and it's the only place I have seen in China that really shows the stories, struggles, happiness, and turmoil in this country. Artists seem to be the only people unafraid to "speak" their minds. The art is amazing. I feel like a lot of it shows so much truth.

We had a really great time in Beijing today. I have exactly six more weeks to see the city before coming home in December. I can't believe I have already been here six months (well almost six months). So much has changed in my life. So many good things have happened to me. Even if I don't always feel like it. Coming here was a good decision. I let go of a lot of my unhappiness and really did cleanse myself of everything bad in my life. I am happy that I am here, but I am definitely ready to see home and all of my family and friends. We have another exciting day ahead of us tomorrow and many more things to see over the next six weeks!

Mandarin lesson:
Qiūtiān 秋天 (Autumn) 

PS- Can you believe I updated twice in one day? Woah. Also- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! Shēngrì kuàilè, bà ba! 

I can feel my heart beat in my biceps...

A few nights ago T and I were working out at our gym (I know, shocker right?). Two of the trainers came up to us while we were doing free weights and they started talking to us about America and personal training and apparently boxing. I was a little distracted by their muscles, smiles, and all-around charm and didn't exactly focus on following the conversation. Vali (one of the guys) left for a second and came back with a clipboard and signed us up for a training session with him for last night. Oh, by the way, this wasn't just any training session. Vali is the boxing trainer. After we signed our names and started for the door, I asked T what exactly had just happened. And she said we would be boxing on Sunday. Oh joy.

So last night T and I were back at Le Wellness and ready to fight. Well, T was ready to fight and I had my fingers crossed that we were somehow mistaken or maybe we had signed up for Saturday and missed the session altogether. Vali first taught us the boxing stance and how to hold your arms. We found our footing and learned about the jab-cross. We strapped on our gloves and got to work. I am not going to lie... I was a little scared. Theresa is an athlete. A rugby player at that. Yes, women's rugby. Basically the most hard ass sport that there is. I know she can beat me up and now she has boxing gloves headed towards my face. So we did our jab-cross for a little while and then Vali had us pick up the pace. We were running, pushing up, sitting up, and sweating our bums off for about 30 minutes. After boxing he even had us do two of the machines to continue working on our chests and backs. I thought I would just pass out dead when we were on our final round of crunches. It was a workout I won't soon forget. My arms are a little shaky today and I am not exactly looking forward to our triumphant return to the gym. Who knows what we will end up getting into.

After the gym we visited "Mrs. Scarf Man," as Mr. Scarf Man apparently had the night off. I left with this wonderful find courtesy of Theresa's searching:

Don't mind the hair and the red face... Remember we had just gotten back from our death punching session. It is nice to go shopping on the streets. I also bought some cutesie Christmas presents for friends. I just hope I don't end up keeping them for myself. Which is totally a possibility. I may just have to buy even more. Shopping is great!

Mandarin lesson:
 Quánjí 拳击 (boxing) Chōngchuáng 冲床 (punch)

When Spiders Attack

With Halloween being celebrated all week long at Romp n' Roll it's hard for things not to get a little cooky in the office.

Also, here are some snippets of our event on Monday. It was just me and two of the Chinese instructors. But I would say we sure could rock the Thriller dance on our own!

I was worried about being in front but I did alright

Xiao King =) One of our newest members

Even Rompy got in on the action

Fill the pumpkin with "seeds"

I hope you all had a Spooktackular Halloween!!

Mandarin lesson:
Wànshèngjié 万圣节 (Halloween) Also, instead of saying "Boo!" they say, "Mrr!" Yeh, strange...

PS- Only 10 more days until the heat comes on. 13 days until Twilight: Breaking Dawn  Part 1 (which fingers crossed comes out the same day in China as in the US). 44 days until I come home in December!