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!