2007; A Year in Review

2007 is definitely a year to remember. I traveled over 50, 000km or 30,000 miles to 4 continents. I met with old friends in each continent as well as made new friends along the way. When I left Minnesota almost 12 months ago, I wasn't sure what would come of my adventures and new life in China but I must say that it has been amazing. The only regret I have is that I didn't keep track of my frequent flyer miles!
I left fridged Minnesota on January 11th, 2007; exactly 2 years after I left for Sweden. I first stopped in LA to meet with my good college buddies Josh and Eric. Then I went to San Diego with Clark, my best bud, to have some good fun before he sends me off across the Pacific. For the first time, Clark dropped me off at the airport. Usually I drop him off at the airport after he took leave to come home from the military. I guess the tables have turned...
I was off to Sydney, Australia to meet up with my friend Chris and travel up the coast for 3 weeks. Time never really went so slow and so fast at the same time. Australia was so relaxing and the pace of life just seemed to slow down however, my 3 weeks went by in the blink of an eye! Chris and I traveled up the coast and met up with 2 other friends that we met in Sweden, Alana and Leah. We traveled with them for one week to Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise and Byron Bay (my fav). Then Chris and I went to Whitsunday Coast and I went sailing for 3 days and 3 nights for the first time! We went on a charter with about 15 others. It was a blast and I always wanted to go sailing, I loved it! Then we went back down to Sydney for a few days to end our trip. I was off to Hong Kong! Chris is still in Oz.
Hong Kong was great. I met with a college friend there who was studying abroad and I also met some other friends of his there. I did a lot of tourist things, at wonton mein, and dim sum!
Zhuhai, ahhh ahhh, hometown China. Literally. Its my father's hometown. I was there for about 2 weeks. one of those weeks was spent with the worst flu ever! The other week was Chinese New Year! I blew up firecrackers, ate a lot of great food and saw lion dances. It was a great experience and I learned the importance of Chinese New Year. It really isn't like western new year where we all party like crazy. In China, it is a time to spend with the family and party a little;)
February 28th, 2007 I arrived in Beijing. I started college again. I studied Chinese language for a little over 4 months. I learned a lot and made some great friends. The first time I came to Beijing i didn't really like it, but now I love this place! Since being in China, I have traveled to Shanghai, Yangshuo (my fav), Changdao (Shandong) and a bunch of other places around Beijing. I feel like Beijing has something to offer. There are tons of opportunities here and I feel like this is the place i need to be for now.
I took 3 weeks over the summer to take holidays in Europe. That was amaaaazing. I met up with some of my best friends there. Marc, Omar, Kais, Maurizio, and many others. It was really great to go to Europe again. I love it there. I went to London for the first time for my friends wedding, spent about a week in Barcelona to enjoy great company, great food and great beaches. Then traveled to Italy and had even better food and better beaches but the company couldn't get any better. How amazing!
After 3 weeks in Europe, I went to Zhuhai, China for 3 weeks. For the first time we had a family reunion. It was so great to see all of my family there in my father's hometown. We celebrated my grandma's 80th birthday and my cousins wedding. We had some excellent food, poor weather but priceless company! I hope we can do it again some day!
At the end of August I came back to Beijing. I found a job in order to support myself here (cuz i don't want to go home! haha). I must say things are going well. I am meeting more and more Chinese people and starting to build a small 'network' or develop guanxi with people which was what i wanted to do.
I guess now I just have to set some goals for 2008 and follow through with them. I am an optimistic person and I believe that 2008 will be a good year as long as i stay focused and positive. 2007 has been a lot of fun and full of travels. Now I gotta get down to business in 2008; and of course, continue to travel! Up-to-come: Kais, Clark C, and Dipesh come to visit and we go to Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong.....I really love traveling:)

Zhuhai Family Reunion

My brothers and I giving a blessing at the village house in Zhuhai

We are the Kwan People!!!

I was looking forward to a time like this for a long time... For the first time we had a family reunion in Zhuhai, back to where it all started. My fathers hometown. I had been away from home and family for 8 months, the longest I have ever been away. So it was really great to see my father, brothers and all my cousins, aunts and uncles in China! It was an amazing time together. We ate great food everyday, got massages and did plenty of sightseeing together as a family.
The main reason for this great family reunion was to celebrate my grandma's 80th birthday and also celebrate the wedding of my cousin Annie. It was a great excuse and I hope we can do it again soon.
As I have said before I don't speak or understand much Cantonese, and my grandma doesn't speak English either but I must say we have a way of understand each other. Maybe it is because she is my grandma and her blood runs through my veins but what I do know is that she was happier than I had ever seen her before. Perhaps it was the thought that some 30-odd years ago she sent her kids off in a boat for a 'better future' not knowing if they ever would return--however, we returned in multiples--and I think this makes her happy. The thought brings happiness to me. Happy Birthday Grandma!

A day in the life of Justin Kwan, September 2007

I have some-what of a routine now. After an adventurous summer of traveling and reunions, it feels kind of good to have something to do everyday; responsibility if you will. I came back to Beijing with the intention and need of finding a job. I found one. I moved out of the University district, aka 'little Korea,' to a more central location in Beijing. I love the move. I also bought a scooter for less than my mountain bike in the US cost. I didn't realize how small Beijing can be until recently.
I woke up this morning like any other morning, I prepared an espresso then jumped in the shower. It was a beautiful blue sky day. I went outside and jumped on my scooter to scoot over to the market to pick up some clothes I had made from my tailor. On the way I stopped and got some fresh fruit from a local vendor. I made some small talk and finished my banana, then I was on my way. The clothes looked nice and they fit just right. xie xie. I took the long way home to enjoy the day. I got home and prepared another espresso then hit the books for an hour or so before I went down the street to pick up some lunch at a local restaurant. I grabbed some food to go, then went home to eat and get ready for work.
I work from 1-7. Part of that time is spent making lesson plans, building relationships with clients and colleagues, MSN, studying Chinese, oh and teaching English. Its a pretty cool gig and all the people I meet are extremely nice. People also look up to me. I am a teacher now. Yikes!
After work, there is usually always someone to meet up with for dinner or some fun. Tonight it was hot pot. yummy. Life is good.

I need to write another one of these daily life journals next week and I need to make sure I am able to write about going to class, somewhere.

Allasio at Last!

Kais and I just relaxing on the way home from a Disco

Me, Davide, Kais, Nathan and Omar on a walk in the mountains

The sun is rising, the weather is sweet here....

Davide took us to his Seaside home at Alassio. It was great to be back to the sea after a week in cold and dreary London. Davide was right about how everyone goes to the seaside for summer holidays in Italy. During the day the beaches were completely packed with people basking in the sun or cooling off in the water. We stayed here a couple nights but we said we could be content with staying here the remainder of the trip! Again, we ate good food, relaxed during the day, and partied at night! This was definitely a summer to remember...

Osteria Della Vittoria-Buon Appetito!

Best Italian food I have ever eaten

I thought this was a neat pic and very Italian feeling

That is a guy with the look of pure contentment

Bellisima! Beautiful Italian country side

My roommate from Beijing, Davide, always talked about an amazing restaurant near his countryside home. He promised he would take me there someday and that day came. Davide explained to me that this is a unique kind of restaurant. They produce everything themselves. We started with appetizers of fresh green salads and tomatoes with the most tender, thinly sliced pieces of veal with a dressing. Then we had a sort of spaghetti bolognese and ravioli. The pastas were amazing and home made. Then we had Tiramisu with some dessert wines. The Tiramisu here was the best one we had throughout our trip in Italy, and we tried many places. It was divine. (my mouth is watering).
The pasta, beef, wine and tiramisu all came from the land that they owned. Davide described this restaurant as we might know as 'organic.' It was amazing. Amazing. (once more) Amazing. I will, someday, visit this restaurant again.
After the meal we had a well deserved sizze i cafe and then hit the road going west to the coast.

Beijingers in Milano

Davide, my roommate, always tells me how horrible Milan is in the summer, that nobody is there, its hot and there is nothing to do (unless you have money). True, but one thing I found that never fails is that it is all about the company you are with, no matter where you are. The top picture was taken after aperitivo while walking around the streets with friends from Italy whom I met in Beijing, Minneapolis and even Sweden. Aperitivo is great, its like happy hour with a bunch of Italian dishes (buffet style). You can help yourself as long as you buy a drink. So 10 bucks got me an amazing mojito and a full stomach of great Italian dishes and snacks. I think we took advantage of the free food!
The second picture is some Friends from Beijing, Kais and me in the "chi-fer-man stance" as I like to call it. This is a very common position to see people standing/sitting in in China. I call it the "chiferman stance" because the first time I saw it I was with my dad fishing. He squatted down in this stance with a pole in one hand and a cig in the other and looked like he could sit there all day (or until a fish bites). In China it's not just a fishing stance, but its a cool name for it (at least I think so!).
It was great to see my friends from Beijing in Milan! It made things easier when I we left Beijing knowing that we would see each other again outside of Beijing. We were in Milan less than 24 hours before we headed to Alassio and a small pit-stop at the best Italian restaurant I have eaten at!

London Time

The newly-weds

Going for a ride...I miss my bike :.(

Big Ben

Truth must be told, I didn't just randomly plan a European adventure, I planned to go to London since October of 2006 when I heard my good friend Rupesh was going to get married there. Plus, I got a good deal on my airline tickets since it was almost an 'around the world' ticket!
Omar, Nathan, Qais (my friends from MN) and I arrived to London just how I imagined it. Cold and dreary, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The main reason we were there was to celebrate the marriage of our friend Rupesh. It was a traditional Indian wedding that was really interesting. the ceremonies, clothing and jewelry are something to experience. Not to mention the food, I love Indian food!! I think London has to be the best place to get Indian food in the world (without getting diarrhea [that burns]).
One of the in-laws got a new Aprilla about a week before we arrived and after talking about bikes for a bit he asked me if I wanted to take it around the block. I said "you don't have to ask me twice" and was gone around the block. This is where we were having some problems communicating with British English and American English. You see, in the US if we ask someone if they want to go take a test ride "around the block" it means go ahead and see what my bike is made of. I guess in British English it means "around the block." I took that bike for a nice long ride "around the block" and on my way back i was greeted by a British Team of Indians (or Asians as they call themselves in England). Wow, were they concerned. Great Italian Engineering. 150cc's compares to a 600cc rice burner.
Did some more touring of London, the bridge, Big Ben, Tate Modern Art Museum, Central, etc. Cool place. I need to go back again because there is so much more to do there than we had time for.

Barcelona, the second time around

Friends I met in Sweden, two years later.

My good friends from Minnesota that I traveled with over the next 3 weeks

Camarero! Table for 19, por favor.

After spending a little over 4 months in China it was time to jet set to a holiday in Spain....and London and Italy! It feels like it was so long ago since I was in Spain, my first stop on this European adventure. I must say that Barcelona is my favorite European city because it is an amazing city and on the sea but also because of the company (as my good friend Qais always says "its not that place, its the company you are with").
It was great to see my amigos from Minnesota after being away for over a half year. Not only was it great to see them, it was great to see my Spanish amigos that I met in Sweden over 2 years ago! Not only was it a reunion with my friends from Minnesota and my friends from Sweden but it was also a reunion with other European exchange students that I met my last semester at the University of Minnesota. We had a dinner together and out of the 19 people at the table I knew all but 2 people. It was great to bring everyone together again and it was also a good time for others to meet new people. However, I must say, it took some planning to get everyone here at that time!
Tapas, beaches, paella, wine and a bike tour occupied most of the time we were there...or maybe just the beach! I new this was the beginning of an unforgettable summer. What could be better that seeing old friends in Barcelona? Next stop, London.

An over view of my summer of 2007

What an amazing summer. Spain, England, Italy and back to China. Visited old, but not forgotten, friends and had an amazing family reunion in Zhuhai, China. Now that it has been almost two months since I left Beijing, I am back (and I have no excuses to not write in my blog). I will start with the beginning of the summer, Barcelona, and go from there. Hopefully it is all still fresh in my head but in these past 2 months so much has happened. Read on, you will see.

Class Trip!

Our class went on a field trip to a park the other day. So here are my classmates, A九班！In the background is the "Birds Nest" Olympic Stadium they are building for the 2008 games. Impressive. My class is great, we are a good group of people and we are all most all Asian and Happa-Happa's!

Motorcycle trips in China

The group of us with our bikes parked in front of Forbidden City.
Same place as above photo, different angle. Having motorbikes here is "illegal," (notice the police wagon in the back)
Section of the Great Wall at Shan Hai Guan
This was our destination. Where the great wall enters the Sea. 老龙头 Old Dragon Head
Mountains to the Northwest of Beijing
Section of the Great wall in the middle of the mountains. Very remote. Very nice.
On top of the mountains in Beijing
The pictures above are from 2 different trips. The first trip was 4 days and about 800 kilometers of riding to a place called Shan Hai Guan. This is the place where the great wall enters the sea. They call this part 老龙头 Lao Long Tou which means old dragon's head since that is what is resembles. We rode 350 kilometers on the first day and made it to Shan Hai Guan on a miracle. Our bikes were having a lot of problems but that is part of the "fun" and experience. The bad part was that out of 4 bikes, it was the bike I was riding that had all the problems! No worries, the other guys that did this trip before said that they would have problems but there is always someone who can fix it along the way (for cheap)!
The first night we arrived late and just checked into a hotel. The second night we camped out next to the great wall. That was a great time, of course we cooked some food and drank beers (maybe not in that order). We camped out on some guys land but he was cool, he brought us fire wood and recommend us to wake up at 4am to hike further up to the wall and see the sun rise. Out of 8 of us, 4 of us managed to wake up. We hiked, then hiked some more....too bad it was a cloudy morning. We didn't see the sun rise after all.
We decided to start our journey back to Beijing on the third day so we would have two days to make it back. The ride back was amazing, we didn't have any problems with the bikes! We continued riding towards the horizon into the redest sunset I had ever seen. (thanks to the Beijing pollution!).
A few of the other pictures are from a day trip we took around the mountains to the northwest of Beijing. It was a perfect day, perfect company and of course I LOVE RIDING. I miss my bike back home... or guess i don't have a bike since I sold it to help afford to come here! I am now accepting donations. I love you mom and dad (wink wink)! hahah

Going Home

After being in Beijing for only one and a half months, I decided to go home. Friends in the states don't get too excited, I went home to my family in Zhuhai, China. It was nice to go have a home cooked meal by my grandma and have the comfort of being with family. Not to mention Zhuhai is much more peaceful and quiet than Beijing! It is also on the sea and there are palm trees (I love it). The massages are also cheaper in Zhuhai! There is a lot I like about it...
Most importantly, I have family here in China. Many people I meet here ask me how I plan on staying in China for up to two years without going home to see my family and friends and I never put too much thought into it (like everything else I do). I guess it is because I have family here in China and it is my second home. Also, I miss my friends but at the same time I know I will see you all again and here I have the opportunity to meet tons of people and make more friends.
(picture from left to right: my cousin Annie, Apo (grandma), and Loyee (my other cousins daughter)

The Farmers from Beijing go to Shanghai

I went on my first trip in China last weekend to Shanghai. My roommate, Davide, has a bunch of friends in Shanghai so we had a place to crash when we went there. After being in Beijing for over a month, I guess I have adapted to the life here in Beijing. I experienced a bit of a shock in Shanghai because it is much more "city-like" and much more hustle-bustle. There is obviously much more western influence in Shanghai. It was noticeable in the architecture and prices. The first day we got there, we went to a shopping center and had dinner there. I was joking around when I approached an escalator and acted as if I had never seen one before. I guess it was only funny for Davide and I. The ironic thing is that we had a bunch of farmers who all had orange baseball hats on and were guided by a tour guide of some sort on our flight back to Beijing who must have never flown before. When we got off the plane and proceeded to baggage claim within a sea of people, a little old lady walked up to the escalator and stopped dead in her tracks! She was absolutely terrified to get on the moving stairs and I thought it was the funniest thing since I felt a little how she felt when i got to Shanghai. But I do feel bad for laughing...but i wasn't the only one laughing.
China's growth is apparent in the photo above. The skyline that you see didn't exist 20 years ago! Now they are building the Tallest building in the world! They broke ground on the skyscraper around July of 2006, now, less than a year later it about the same height as the tallest building in Shanghai. 88 (more or less) floors in less than a year! Impressive.

Fresh Cut Grass

I just got the first whiff of fresh cut grass the other day in Shanghai and again today in Beijing. I must say it reminded me of home and when I was younger. I guess what the say about smell being the strongest reflex trigger of memory is true. So I must say thanks mom and dad for always making me cut the grass. I always complained, "why do I have to do it?!!" I was told it was because Ben, my older brother, grew past that chore (really quickly) and Alex, my younger brother was too young and it was dangerous...so I guess it wasn't too dangerous for me. Besides, I valued $10 bucks a week a lot more than my brothers did at that age. Thanks mom and dad for making me cut the grass, how I never thought I would smell fresh cut grass on the other side of the world and for a split second feel closer to home.

TIAN'AN MEN

This was my first visit to Tian'an Men since coming to Beijing a little over a month ago. The weather was great last weekend and my tongwu(roommate) and I decided to check out the Palace gate and walk around the square. I will have to go inside the forbidden city another time when I have all day to just walk around, relax, practice my kung fu, taichi, and meditate. I started watching the movie "The Last Emperor" the other night. Great movie and it is an easy way for me to learn a little bit about the history. I think I can rely on this movie for information the only problem is I fell asleep while watching it. I'll have to finish later.

Davide and me. In the background is Tian'an Men square and Mao's Mausoleum where Chairman Mao's embalmed body lies. His casket is raised from a refrigerated chamber for viewing in mornings and afternoons. The line is pretty long to see it and I wasn't there on time, more-over, I have never seen a dead body nor do I want to!

The Great Wall

For the record, I was having some trouble with accessing my blog recently so that is why I haven't posted. I was able to add some pics but now I better write something about The Great Wall.
In previous posts I mentioned how great it is to be back to the college life. Its even better than college because we have class field trips like in grade school!!! Our class went to the Great Wall last week. We went to Mutianyu, which is about an hour drive from Beijing. A great experience and a wonderful wonder of the world. Unfortunately it was foggy out when we were there so the pictures don't justify the beauty of the wall. The pictures just add true to the views on Beijing's horrible air pollution. Don't worry mom, that isn't smog, it's fog (at least that's what I tell myself since it helps me sleep at night--really--)!


I did write my name on the great wall in Chinese and English! But don't worry it rubs off like chalk....

I'm American (half Chinese)

After travelling Australia and now living in Beijing, I have noticed a lot of tension from other nationalities towards America and American citizens. Before going into this blog, I am going to remind myself to not get into politics but rather just make note to myself and others who are reading this.
I am proud to be an American, but what is an American? All my good friends back home come from extremely diverse backgrounds. I think this is what America is. But if I were to ask these friends what they were, they would say "Indian, Korean, Palestinian, Minnesotan(hehe), Pakistan, Chinese, etc." When I meet people here who are a "minority" within a majority of a country, they simply say they are from that majority without questioning their nationality or saying something like, "but I am mixed with..... or my family is originally from...." (Does this even make sense or am I just ranting?)
Tonight I prepared a delicious dinner of Tomato Chicken Wings (one of my favorite dishes that my father makes) for the first time. It turned out great! As a matter of fact I was searching my flat to see if my dad was hiding somewhere because I didn't think I could possibly replicate his dish! haha(it was good but maybe not as good as his.) To get to the point, my Chinese friend could recite the Chinese National Anthem, the 3 Italians did theirs, and then it came to me. Damn, I couldn't do it. What kind of American citizen am I? Can you other Americans recite it? Maybe its just me because I have always been horrible at memorizing songs but for some reason, I don't think I stand alone here. I remember back in kindergarten we would recite the National Anthem everyday before class but then after I graduated Kindergarten it wasn't mandatory anymore. I guess its just a song after all.... As long as I pay taxes, I guess I am an American citizen! haha, jokes on Uncle Sam I don't have an Income! But thanks to all you other hard working Americans who are paying taxes. Someone had to pay for my college(or at least the interest on the loans)!

Frustrations of Learning Chinese

Week two is almost over. Time flys. But in the meantime I am getting frustrated with all the things associated with learning a new language. I feel like I should be able to comprehend more than I actually can. And what I do comprehend, I look like a deer in the headlights when coming up with a response. It's tough. When speaking English I always have something to say about everything. Whether I have a smart mouth or a smart ass....I would always have something to say in any circumstance. I guess it is because i like to bullshit, and that's the kind of person I am. Not here. I am the quite shy guy who has nothing to say because he can't say anything except "bu mingbai" or "ting bu dong" (I don't understand).
I hope I have to look back at this blog in a couple months, or a year to remember how frustrating it was..... Time will tell...

好好学习，天天向上

The tittle reads "hao hao xuexi, tian tian xiang shang," which means study hard and progress daily. This is what my Chinese friend 小妹 (xiaomei) taught me. I thought this would be a great tittle for my blog about the first week of school (also, so I wont forget).　谢谢小妹！
Some people have the desire to learn to play the guitar or piano, learn to cook, or become a professional athlete....well, I have the desire to learn Chinese. I have had this desire to learn Chinese that has grown greater and greater over the past couple of years. There are 2 main reasons to learn Chinese: the first is for family reasons. My goal is to one day sit down and talk to apo (my grandma) and have a deep conversation about her life and what my father was like when he was young to find out some dirt on him. Now-a-days my conversations with my grandma usually consist of a few main phrases in Cantonese such as: "wo fan gao" (i sleep), "hei san!" (wake up!), "sek fan" (eat!), "jo san" (good morning), "bu shufu" (i don't feel good), "yum jau" (drink beer), "mo man tai" (no problem), and "liu sa bao" (one of my favorite dimsum dishes, which translates to golden sand bun or something like that...yummmy, Alex, you will love these and we will eat plenty in August. Oh, and Happy Birthday baby brother!).
The second reason I want to learn Chinese is for future survival in a flat world. China is an economical tiger and I am too lazy to get an MBA, so I figure being fluent in Chinese will be just as valuable as an MBA. Besides, an MBA is out of my budget right now and something I never really thought about. I could work for a company and then maybe they would pay for an education but then I would have to sign a contract with them and I would have to do part time MBA while working, which would mean work from 8-5 then go to MBA classes that are difficult and you actually have to do work for them, then I would have to go home and study all night and then wake up from a snooze on one of my 700 page text books, which i drooled all over, just in time for morning rush hour commute to that company I dread..... wow, thats deep. Instead I have been getting up at 7ish, going to class for 4 hours, then meet with some Italians to have lunch for a couple hours followed by an espresso. La dolce vita (I need to learn a phrase like that in Chinese).
I guess another reason to learn Chinese is to communicate with my future wife. I think my dad and or grandma are going to have some young ladies lined up for me when we have our family reunion in August at Zhuhai, hometown China......NOT!
I better study hard everyday so I can make daily progress... it just doesn't translate... so, "好好学习，天天向上." Class in the morning, week 2 begins. Goodnight.

Some Pictures from Hong Kong and Zhuhai

View of Hong Kong from Victoria's Peak


Hong Kong by night

Sunset. View to the west of Hong Kong.
I would like to make note of a few things about this picture. Actually, this photo is quite symbolic and ironic for me. I couldn't help it but for some reason I became a bit emotional as I stood atop Victoria's Peak and watched the sun set to the west in the direction of where my father is from (Zhuhai). Over 30 years ago my father escaped from China during the end of the revolution along with one of his brothers, his sister and her husband and some other 'uncles'. My father risked his life the night he said goodbye to his mother not knowing if he would make it or even survive. Imagine that. Saying goodbye to your parents; no "goodbye mom, I'll call you or email you when i get there," there was no way he could even write home. Now imagine doing that at 17 years old. To make a long story short, my father encountered troubles on the voyage and nearly lost his life. But my dad was determined to make it to Hong Kong and eventually to America. He made it and thank god otherwise you wouldn't be reading this!
The irony is that my father wanted to get out of China and make it to Hong Kong or America where he could find better opportunities. Well, here I am, 22 years old and going to China to find opportunities and learn more about my culture. I have undeniable respect for my father and what he did. Thanks dad!

Wonton Mein. My favorite food

My cousin, niece and me on a bike ride along the sea in Zhuhai

Gong Hay Fat Choi! 新年快乐！

CHINESE LION DANCE! ROOOAAAR
My first Chinese New Year in China with my relatives! What a great experience, not only was it great to be in China for the new years celebration but i was there for the most important part of the holiday, which is spending time with your Family! Durring the 15 day celebration
I saw several Lion Dances, which are performed by young boys ages 10-15. They walk on ropes and stilts raised above the ground sometimes more than 6 feet! One of the purposes of the lion dance is to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.







All you hear and see durring the first several days of the New Year's celebration are fireworks and and firecrackers...it got old and a bit annoying after a while but I thought I would join the fun! On the first day of the new year I bought a string of firecrackers that was about 25 feet long! The second day i bought one that was even longer, maybe 40 feet! I hung the firecrackers from the roof of the house and lit it up! BANG BANG BANG!!! it was great, i felt like i was 12 and making trouble for my grandma all over again! Except she was very happy and honored for a Kwan son to do this. The Firecrackers scare off evil spirits and and bring good luck! They also leave red paper shreds everywhere but it is good luck to leave the red stuff (Red is good luck) on the ground overnight (thank god, because I didn't want to clean it up! haha). After blowing things up, I gave a blessing to our ancestors by lighting incense and bowing 3 times in front of 3 differnt shrines. Now grandpa can relax up there, J Kwan is blessed him! I must say I'm not Budhist (I think its a budhist thing:o) so it was a bit of a learning experience but it really pleased my grandma and as long as it keeps the culture alive, I am honored to do so. After a great Lion Dance, some bang bangs, giving blessings and a huge dinner--of course-- we left the Kwan village house and went back to the city. Whheeeewww, a sitting toilet and hot shower!

A Bit About Beijing

Bombs over Beijing!
I couldn't believe what I saw and heard last night. Yesterday was Chinese Lantern Festival. The Holiday coincides with a full moon and marks the end of the 15-day new year period. Well, Chinese apparently like to celebrate by shooting off Firecrackers and Fireworks! It seemed like it all happened at once; it sounded like there was some sort of war going on outside! I live on the 20th floor and when I took a look out the window all I saw was flashes of beautifully colored fireworks just outside of our window and spanning the horizon. It was amazing. Not just the fireworks but the fact that every other person was lighting these off in a huge city of 18-some million! (The Picture doesn't really justify the occasion, but my roommate took a video and may post it on youtube. I'll let you know if he does!)

Snow in Beijing!

Beijing has a very dry climate and when I first got here the temperature was above freezing and dry. The other day it was raining and it actually began to snow! I'm from MN and they have plenty of snow there but it was really cool seeing snow in Beijing. I really feel at home now! I kind of miss snow.....NOT! The great thing about the snow, cold and wind in Beijing is that it cleans up the air. A little something you should all know about Beijing is that you rarely see the blue sky. Depressing, I know. However, since it got really cold here the other day and the winds have picked up, the air has cleared and you can see the blue sky! It was a brilliant blue!Just as blue as the sky in Minnesota! Since the air cleared up, I noticed that there are Mountains to the North and West of us. Not far at all! As a matter of fact, I think I could see part of the Great Wall!

Beijing at last

I graduated from the University of Minnesota in May of 2006 with a Bachelors Degree of Science in Business. I started working full time for a company in Minneapolis not too long after graduation. Yikes, the real world! It was scary. No more sleeping in til noon and starting the weekend on Thursday nights. This was it, work; but for what? That's what I couldn't figure out. So I decided it was the best time in my life to fulfill what I have always wanted to do. Learn Chinese! As many of you know, I am half Chinese but don't really speak much Chinese or even know much about my culture. Well, I am an optimist and it's never to late! I applied directly to a language university in Beijing and was accepted. I sold my motorcycle (wow do i miss it!) and my car, said goodbye to my family and friends and took off to China (and detour in Australia:) I'll write on that later) with the intention of being here for 1-2 years.
Well, here I am in Beijing at last! I kind of just decided to go and didn't put much thought or expectations into it other than learn Chinese and about my other culture. I was actually in Beijing in August of 2005 and to be honest, I didn't think too much of this place. Despite my first impression, I have quickly fallen in love with Beijing and I haven't even been here one week!
I am living in a city of about 18 million people. Wow, that's a lot. I live in a lovely apartment with my Italian friend Davide whom I met when I was studying in Sweden 2 years ago. There is amazingly good and cheap food everywhere! I live in the Haidian district, which is surrounded by Universities. Since my Uni is a language University there are heaps of foreigners, which is a great thing because I love meeting people from all over the world!
School starts on Tuesday. Back to the good life of sleeping til noon and starting the weekends on Thursday nights, or I think they start on Wednesdays in Beijing!

My Blog 2007/3/3

I am finally doing what I told myself I would do a long time ago and start a blog. There are 2 reasons I am creating this: 1) for my family and friends to read and see what I am doing and 2) for me to write my doings and thoughts to someday look back on and reminisce about the times I have had. So, I hope this is a good way to diary my thoughts, journeys and happenings and I look forward to keeping you updated.
Enjoy!