flicinchina's Xanga

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Sat, 28 May 2005 03:01:46 GMT

Hey guys,

Just a quick note to let you know that I've moved!

New blog is at http://flic.nomadlife.org

Hope to see you there!

Luv and hugs, flic

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Tue, 24 May 2005 04:59:04 GMT

Culinary matters:

Peach Custard flavoured yoghurt. Or, it might be Peach flavoured stuff that's a cross between custard and yoghurt. The packaging wasn't explicit. But whatever it is, someone was really thinking, and I'm eternally grateful I highly recommend all of you in Australia who are partial to custard or yoghurt or both to go to Coles and grab some! It will be worth your effort, trust me

Dancing:

No, I haven't started yet, in fact I've done some reseach on classes and need to make some phone calls this afternoon. But a question has crossed my mind... What shoes do you wear to a dance class? I rekon I could wear just sneakers to a contempory or modern class, year? But for a latin class... I can't imagine doing latin dancing in sneakers... maybe I have to wear heels? Can you wear heels with tracky dacks (tracksuit pants)? I might just do as Julia joked, and take a few different pairs, regardless of the type of class, just in case! And wear whatever, who cares. Man, dancing is already seeming complicated! I just want to have fun and get fit!

Reading:

I'm doing HEAPS of reading at the moment, and trying to get a good balance. I want to read some classics and philosophical books to broaden my mind. Also Ludlum novels, I know i'll love them so they're a pretty safe bet for a good read. All that espionage and global scale conspiracies and stuff And the third group is professional reading, about management or HR theory etc. The first and third category are only for daytime reading (a bit tough for evenings!), but the challenge is to confine the spy books to only evening reading

Countryside:

Last night we went out to somewhere between Murray Bridge and Tallem Bend with a couple of telescopes to check out Jupiter and some of the stars. It was cloudy and the moon was full and so bright it was ridiculous, so it wasn't great for looking at the stars. BUT the moon was cool And it was so nice, just sitting out in the middle of no-where, listening to the cows, smelling the cows , looking up at the night sky, chatting with friends. It's cool that places like that are so close to where we live, that we can see so many stars and stuff, that we have cars that we can just jump in and drive off in without much planning

Luv and hugs, flic

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Sat, 14 May 2005 04:40:14 GMT

Okay, start from the start Team day finished earlier than we expected, so we went and hung out at Subway to read the magazines - quite relaxing actually After re-packing again, in the evening we had dinner at the new Korean place downstairs, and then went to Pass By Bar near Houhai. David had read about it somewhere - its kind of famous -and wanted to check it out. It's famous with backpackers and kind of kitch (with t-shirts and stuff) but has great cosy cabin-like atmosphere, a library (incl heaps of travel books) that you can borrow from if you donate 3 books, and tasty drinks and food I also got presents again that evening (my luggage situation just kept getting worse!) which was lovely

Friday we had lunch at one of my favourite restaurants, eating my fav dishes, with the MC, Leon and Nick Then it was time to leave But it was a gorgeous day to leave, sunny and warm, perfect last memories of Beijing!

The trip back wasn't especially eventful. Vietnam Airlines was crap (again), Vietnam was boiling hot and humid (again), I was told by a random Taiwanese guy at Ho Chi Minh Airport that I was beautiful but I should lose some weight (what a cheek, he was much fatter than me!), and I was too tired, poor, and worried about my luggage to go shopping in Ho Chi Minh before going back to the airport from the hotel, so I really didn't get to enjoy it at all. BUT I did have a few interesting - thoughts, shall we say.

I think the last year has made me a lot more patient and accepting At the airport, this old couple in front of me at check-in had about 10 small bags to check in, an older relative that they'd temporarily misplaced, and generally just no idea what was going on. The chick behind me was swearing and cursing under her breath... what help was that gonna do? What was her rush anyway, the flight wouldn't board for a couple of hours yet! Later during the flight I could hear her moaning to the couple next to her about the poor service. On, and on, and on.... Jeez! Enough already! Yep, I agree, the service was pretty bad. But since when did complaining loudly make things any better? Couldn't she just laugh about it, or find something else to think about? I actually found her complaining really, really irritating. Probably partly cos I was so tired, but she just sounded so spoilt and negative I'm all for taking action to improve situations, but not just complaining when it won't change anything! I think she should live in Beijing and work in an office with crap infrastructure for a year.. might give her a different view

Sydney airport - WOW! People were smiling, laughing with their workmates, and joking with customers. Everything was clearly signposted with people ready and willing to help you if you needed it (and knew the answers to questions!). Immigration asked if I enjoyed my trip, and customs actually exists - again, friendly, smiling people . Everyone called me "madam" or "love" or "miss" and asked how I was that day. So refreshing

Being back feels a little strange. It's great to see everyone again (everyone who's still here ) and nice to sleep in a BIG bed in a BIG room, lie on the COUCH and watch TV, walk on CLEAN streets with NO PEOPLE and FRESH AIR and SUNSHINE that's not filtered by smog! But it feels a little like being on a holiday... and I miss my life in Beijing, the people and places and food and my great job! Speaking of jobs, if anyone knows of anything part-time in Adelaide that I'd enjoy (or just be able to stand), let me know

So far I've been exercising a lot, just started job hunting, reading, sorting out uni, - and of course catching up with people! Drinks on Tues night with a few of the boys, The Event on Wednesday night with AIESEC SA, coffee later Wed night with Julia, coffee Thurs arvo with Lucy, drinks with Sims side of the family last night. Tonight I'll see the Nicholl side at a 60th. Busy busy!

Well, next week I'll sign up for dance classes (not sure which type yet!), get more serious about job hunting, start studying Japanese again, go out for Chinese food with the boys, catch up with Sharmini for her birthday, have lunch with Julia, and I need to call some ppl I have't run into yet! Should be a good week! I also will try to get up earlier.... I haven't seen many mornings yet since I returned - I think only yesterday! Jet-lag really isn't an excuse when you just go from North to South

Well, whereever you are in the world, best wishes for a great week! Especially to Chris, Leon, Delfy, TN & SN - our whole apartment I miss you guys! Best wishes for the trip home to Shanghai then to Rotterdam Chris!

Luv and hugs, Flic

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Wed, 04 May 2005 09:34:43 GMT

SO today is Wednesday, and I leave Beijing on Friday sad times indeed. How has my last week been? Pretty good

Friday Shirley from BJTU took Ellen (RUC CEEDer from The Netherlands), Chris and I shopping at a market near the zoo. Man, I wish I'd been there earlier! Heaps of nice clothes, really cheap, not too busy. The most shopping fun I've had the whole time I've been here! Thanks Shirley!

Farewell Party for me and Chris was at Black Sun Bar 2 at Chaoyang Park Friday night. Incidentally, the same place as I Pearl and I had our surprise birthday party in June last year. Couches, good music thats not so loud you can't speak, pool tables and cheap drinks! Heaps of people came so we were really happy, and we even got presents! Just a lovely, relaxing evening.

Saturday Adam, Ellen, Chris, Delfy, Sonja (Delfy's girlfriend who's visiting at the mo) and I went to the Minority Park. It's a huge outdoor place with different areas for each Chinese minority. Parts of it were under construction (but looked abandoned), some parts looked fine but still abandoned, and some performers were too lazy to perform for us! BUT some areas were cool, with interesting dances, songs, costumes and stories about their cultures. It was nice to spend an afternoon outdoors in the sun (I didn't get brown at ALL!) and to learn a bit more about China outside of Han culture! Afterwards we went to Leon's family's place, as they live nearby. His parents cooked a huge feast for all of us, they're so lovely! It was interesting to have the usual kind of questions too... "Did you have to get approval from your parents to come to China?".

Sunday Chris and I were treated to lunch by a few of the UIBE guys. As always it was smiles and laughs all around, plus great food . Sad to say goodbye as I've spent a lot of time with them this year, especially the outgoing and also incoming EBs.

This week has mostly been a mixture of sorting through all the stuff I've accumulated this year (my desk alone was a minor nightmare ), packing, tying up stuff for transition, and having all of those final Beijing experiences! These included shopping at Wangfujing (thanks again Shirley!), DVD at Nick's, an afternoon spent randomly catching buses around the city, taking and printing more photos, Peking Duck, and today.... going with Chris to get our nails done! We both had our toe nails treated and painted, and I had my finger nails done too. I feel like a princess

Tomorrow is team day, and Friday is D-Day, so stay tuned for the next update direct from somewhere a LOT further South from here!

Luv and hugs, flic

Thursday, April 28, 2005

Thu, 28 Apr 2005 07:26:08 GMT

Quick update:

The forecast for Beijing is for 30 degrees today - the same as Adelaide! I guess in that sense it's a good time of year to move hemispheres! This morning was hot and VERY dusty, I was worried a famous sand storm was brewing! But by lunch time things were clearing up, and now it's pretty clear actually Tempted to put on the air con this arvo, but just went and got ice cream instead

Yesterday I mopped the floors. And later cleaned the bench, sink and stove top in the kitchen. I think there could be three reasons for this sudden burst of cleaning: 1 - the place was kind of dirty, 2 - I don't have much exciting work left to do, all just filing and reports and stuff, 3 - Since I'm leaving soon, I feel a sudden sense of attachment to the apartment. I think all three reasons might have contributed. In any case, it was rewarding

Got to go - only one week left of my Beijing life!

Luv and hugs, flic

Monday, April 25, 2005

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 06:11:25 GMT

Most people that I see in Beijing who are begging are quite passive: they sit with a bowl or tin in front of them, maybe bowing on the ground, or just looking tired and hungry. Some will approach you and shake their bowl at you, I can't understand what they're saying. Occassionally someone will tug at your sleave or grab your arm, which I find quite offensive, as an invasion of my personal space But there's one kind of beggar experience that I find especially interesting as well as a little irritating. I was on the subway last week, and could hear some random noises... 2 men entered our car, both with something like leprosy. The one in front had a bag they were holding out for donations, the one behind had a terrible microphone and was singing a really sad sounding song, of their plight I guess. The sounds echoes along the train for ages, and is really, really loud when they pass by. As soon as they left our car, someone else entered, with an artificial leg, playing a harmonica, again, a sad tune. He stopped and started speaking into a similar terrible microphone, about his plight I guess, and asking for money. I guess, most places where people beg, others are just passing by. On the subway, the audience is more or less captive, and paying just 3 RMB for a ticket, you could get on and off trains all day. Smart, quite smart.

Saturday night BJTU invited Chris and I for a farewell dinner. The restaurant was really nice - they even had what could be classified as good service! I couldn't believe it. The corridor was crowded with groups of people sitting on stools waiting for a table to become available, and they were supplied with lemon water, orange slices, dried soy beans and rice crakers! Wow We had hotpot - yay - it was delicious, a highlight being the chef that came into our room to make the long noodles... he started with a piece of dough, stretched it out, then started flinging it around in circles around his head and in figure 8s until it was long enough, then breaking it into noodles. Cool I must find out what they're called... It was great chatting with the BJTU guys, and more serious AIESEC talk afterwards with the EBs!

Sunday afternoon was RUC's Annual Report and Takeover Meeting. Again, great to chat with people afterwards and at dinner, and so lovely to see the changeover between the new and old EB teams!

Another beautiful day in Beijing today, just like yesterday in fact! Will go for a walk tonight, soak up the Beijing atmosphere as much as I can before I have to leave!

Luv and hugs, flic

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Sat, 23 Apr 2005 02:28:26 GMT

Food news:

With the change in season has come the change in food: to my great dissappointment, it's getting harder and harder to find a vendor with a big steel drum with sweet potatoes roasting on top Instead, there are people everywhere with carts full of pineapples! You can buy half pineapples already peeled and on a stick! Strawberries are also everywhere, and lots of small mangoes too. I'm don't think that peaches will come back into season before I leave though - bummer - I loved those peaches!

Apartment news:

Things are quiet! Ralphfrom Australia left last weekend - we miss you! Party Friday night was good fun, it was the first time for Ralph, Delfy, Adam and Nick to go to KTV aka Kareoke! Despite having a booking we had to wait over an hour to get a room (concept of service has a long way to develop in China!) but it was worth it! It was my first time since October, and there were heaps of people so we had a big room, it was lots of fun Delfy's girlfriend arrived Friday and they've gone travelling in southern China for a week, so Chris and I are the only ones living here, and even in office hours, us plus Leon only makes 3! So much space and peace, it's unbelievable!

The balcony has also come into regular use again, Leon and Delfy sold my bottle collection! They didn't realise quite how many there were, as they were in bags and boxes, but we got 80RMB! Thats, like, almost as much as I'd spend here in a cheap week Delfy has put a chair and footstool out there, so the balcony's looking comfy! We've moved the desks etc in the office a bit too for a change, just to keep things interesting

Random:

Chris and Leer and I went shopping at Xidan! Picture huge buildings where every floor is just full of tiny shops/stalls where you can bargain Fav purchases include heaps of cheap underwear and a cute handbag that Chris and I each bought one of! Also lots of earrings

Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day in Beijing, for once it stopped being ridiculously windy, the air was clear, it was warm, the sun was shining - perfect! Today is pretty smoggy again, I haven't been out, but it doesn't look inviting

Must go, less than 2 weeks left in Beijing now, so got to make the most of it!

Luv and hugs, flic

Friday, April 15, 2005

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 05:38:08 GMT

Felt so great to update last night, that I thought I'd write some more!

Embassy Districts:

Before I came to China, I'd never seen an embassy before - applying for visas from Adelaide just meant sending stuff by registered mail to Canberra! But now I've been on several trips to these places! There are two embassy areas in Beijing, and they're a little scary Firstly, there's big fences along both sides of the road, inside of which each embassy has its own fence, complete with barbed wire. Then there's at least one solider in front of each gate, plus random soldiers on every corner and at intervals along the street. The just hang out, looking from side to side, and occassionally move a few paces in one direction or the other. There's also groups of soldiers that patrol around, marching in sync. Slightly intimidating BUT once you get inside them, these places are generally fine.

Australian Embassy: No aussies to be found, no feeling of belonging. But nicely decorated, quite grand Also had a hard time getting in there cos the reason of "Registering as an Australian in Beijing" wasn't an option on the form I had to tick at the gate, and the solider didn't speak ANY English except "Passport"

Bangladeshi Embassy: Comfy couches, Bangla TV broadcast, lots of reading material. Just as well because the the staff are kind but totally useless so lots of waiting around is required, on several different occassions

Vietnamese Embassy: Visa office is a tiny dingy building at the back of this huge complex that could house half of Ho Chi Minh City! Polite and helpful staff, nice Vietnam Airlines touches of decoration

So, in conclusion, I've decided embassies just aren't that exciting. Not the parts that visa applicants get to see anyway Though I still hope to work in one one day - hopefully not the visa part! What WAS exciting this morning, is that it's a gorgeous day, sunshine was streaming through the new leaves on the trees along the road, and once or twice I noticed a soldier singing to themself! No way! It totally impressed me!

On another note, Ralph from Australia is leaving on Sunday! UIBE can't come to his farewell party tonight cos they're at a transition weekend (YAY!) so we had dinner with them on Wednesday night. It was so lovely! Great food, great company! Highlights included singing songs we sang when we were kids (me and Ralph didn't have as many as the Chinese guys!) and random drinking games with corn soup as punishment! Thanks for a lovely evening everyone! Tonight is THE party, Ralph is sick but I hope he can still enjoy it!

Today is also exactly 3 weeks from when I leave Beijing It was nice chatting to Loz last night on MSN about Adelaide and what will be good about going back - we're both trying to prepare ourselves!

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 11:47:14 GMT

Sooooo long since the last update! I’m sorry! But so much has happened that I just haven’t had a chance to update

First – APXLDS! It was SOOOO great!

Bangladesh: It’s a really beautiful country, everything is so lush and green (one of the highest rainfalls in the world), the clothing is so bright and colourful (similar to India) and even the buses and trucks are brightly decorated Also, it was so nice and WARM! Quite humid too, so my skin finally recovered from the excessive dryness of Beijing! Unfortunately it took less than a week to go back to dry and crunchy

Faci team: Finally we got to meet in person after months of frustrating online meetings! We had a lot of fun together writing, re-writing, adjusting, and most of all running sessions together, as well as chatting with and partying with all of the delegates. Thanks heaps to Mia from Indonesia, Bonnie and Eric from Malaysia, and Omar from Bangladesh Too bad JM from the Philippines couldn’t make it due to visa issues…

Delegates: So great! Noisier than I expected for an Asia-Pacific delegation! The energy was just great, especially watching the quieter and less confident delegates gradually come out of their shells during the conference and start to really contribute and challenge!

Parties: Miss AP party was kind of scary, I think Bonnie will agree! The guys really enjoyed the night and were willing to go to extremes to prove how well they could please the crowd and judges alike as girls! My party highlights include AIESEC dances on the balcony, Ming Mang Mong, getting a henna tattoo from Lisa, and random chats with so many delegates! The OC also bought heaps of fairy lights and lanterns to spread over the site, making it really beautiful, especially when they reflected off of the water.

Special moments: Many, but including:

l When delegates kept discussing AP relevant issues through the session breaks cos they were so engaged!

l Taiwanese and Mainland delegates sharing about the political situation and how they feel, and really changing each others’ perspectives based on these discussions

l A Taiwanese delegate with poor English standing up in front of the LDS track (80+ people) to share her ideas and urging others to do the same even though they are scared to because of their English ability

l Transition with Pierre! It was great to finally meet my successor and to be able to have face to face discussions about the role and next steps in PD in MoC

l Hearing that preparation work I’ve done on a partnership proposal and sent to someone in another country helped to secure a large partnership! Something I haven’t had time to pursue further in China, but that I know brought results somewhere else in the network, and now have more confidence in this to work in China – go Pierre!

l Sugar cubes, presents from different countries, hugs, smiles, and emails now I’m back!

A few people have asked me what kinds of things I’ve learnt, since it’s my first time to facilitate at an international conference, and to give you a hint, here are some of the

Key Challenges:

l The diversity in the delegation – in their different AIESEC experiences, knowledge, skills and English level. This meant adjusting sessions every night according to the day’s feedback – hard work but satisfying!

l Lack of direction from AI – they pretty much just gave us objectives and we had to put the whole thing together!

l Working in a virtual team to plan the conference

l Site related challenges – like the power going out for most of the afternoon before the conference started (when we were trying to prepare) and occasionally during the conference itself!

l Lack of sleep! Working on sessions each night after partying adds up after a while!

All in all, an awesome experience! Which included a one-day (half day, we slept all morning after our flight got in before dawn!) stop in KL to visit the IPM bid site! Highlights included:

l Chatting with Aneesha (MCe) about AIESEC, being an international MC member, and the future…

l Visiting the MC office – I’m totally jealous – it’s SO professional!

l Going with Chen to meet someone from the Convention Centre – we got to go up into one of THE towers!

Lucy’s visit

The week between AP and April was kind of crazy, partly because we were preparing for April, and partly because Lucy came to visit on her way back from AP! Unfortunately I was too busy to spend as much time with her as I wanted to, but we went shopping with Delfy one day, ate meals out together with various bunches of people a few times, and it was great just to catch up – we were in different tracks at the conf so we hardly saw each other until Beijing! Looking forward to catching up in Adelaide next month when we both have time to breathe

April Conference

My last conference in China! It was kind of sad, every time I danced a dance, or heard a chant, or chatted with someone, I wondered if it would be for the last time… Closing plenary was quite emotional as Chris and I were asked to say something in farewell to AIESEC in Mainland of China as we won’t be at July National Conference.

The party on the second night was unusual and probably worth mentioning, the OC auctioned off various members of each LC and the MC! We had to dance first, then delegates could bid for us using cups of beer they had to drink as the currency! Crazy…

Key challenges for me:

l Didn’t get to meet new members as much as I would have liked, cos I spent every session running something in the EB track!

l My laptop refused to boot from before opening plenary… thanks David for letting me use yours for my sessions!

l Site challenges – changing rooms a lot, projectors (I’m not very technical..)

l Some of the EB elect were also on the OC, so they were trying to be in sessions AND do their OC role

l Sleep – coming soon after APXLDS and having a cold, it was tough to balance partying and sleep! Luckily sessions were done before so I didn’t have to try and work in the evenings too!

Special things:

l Cool discussions in and out of sessions

l Great questions in the EB track about their LC challenges and session material

l Random and less random (my AIESEC experience etc) chats in breaks and meals

l Energy from outgoing EB members

l Sugar cubes, hugs, smiles, emails

Weather

Spring has arrived in Beijing! Just before we left for AP the weather was starting to warm up a bit… but coming back there were days for t-shirts! And now the trees have LEAVES and there are BLOSSOMS on the trees! Beijing looks like a completely different city! Grey concrete apartment buildings look much nicer with this spring decoration, rather than with just grey tree trunks and branches! PLUS it rained the first day of conference, I was so excited… it hasn’t rained in Beijing for so long! It’s such a dry city, and in winter it was too cold so there was just snow. I missed the sound and smell and just the feeling you get when it rains!

Anyway, this has taken HEAPS of time, so I MUST go, but hope this has given you some clue to what I've been up to the past month!

Luv and hugs,

Flic xxx

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Sat, 12 Mar 2005 04:47:18 GMT

Sitting in the sunshine on a couch at an internet cafe - its faster to up and download stuff here, and I can access my hotmail Plus, couches man! Even if they sag in the middle and there's no leg room cos there's stuff under the table, it's still exciting Our internet at home is working again - and we have it NETWORKED! Don't ask, cos I don't understand, but we can ALL be online at the same time, and we can share files! If only this had happened in June it makes me want to cry!

Water news:

Washing and kitchen sink usage is back to normal After being "fixed" three times ! On the bright side, I now know some of our neighbours, and won't have to think twice about what to wash first next time I'm in a washing crisis - i've spent a couple of WEEKS thinking about it!

Random observation:

Almost no food packages at the supermarket have a nutrition table

Work update:

My job is cool! I used to say the last one (July/August) was bad for my soul, and I think it was, it made me miserable. This job doesn't! It's more time and effort to prepare, but their English is good enough that we can have some fun, and the content is more interesting for me! Plus, I think working during the week makes a difference - who wants to do a job they hate on the weekend? AND my financial situation is SO much improved now that I have some income!

Travel update:

Leaving on Friday to Bangladesh to faci at APXLDS - yay! APLDS in 2001 was an awesome experience for me, and I can't wait for my next AP conference experience! AND it will the first time I faci at an international conference! Heaps of stuff still to do for it, but sure it will come together Get a day in KL on the way back cos the BJ-KL flight is free from Malaysian Airlines - thanks to Liv and the Malaysian MC team! Unfortunately I have to miss Ralph's 21st birthday! I better get him something extra nice to make up for it

Apartment update:

Delfy has arrived! Yes we have a second Ralph in the office, and before he'd even arrived, we'd nick-named him Delfy as his last name is Delfs. Well, Ralph and I are just Australian - we had no choice but to name him in this way! He's lots of fun, very German, and a computer tech guy (thus the network) so everyone's happy! Chris is also finally back from IPM and Shanghai which is great, we've missed her heaps, and everyone loves an MCP who's in the office Our apartment is once again lively, after long periods of just 2 people (me and Adam, then me and Ralph). And nice to have another girl in the place again - boys are just hard work to live with!

Pet observation:

I never realised fish poo so much.... SO much! I've put them on a diet, results are inconclusive.

Weather update:

Warm! Nights are below freezing, but days are sunny - max doesn't get up to 10, but I can walk around wearing just my jacket open (it doesn't do up, the zip melted onto Achim's jacket when we put them too close to a heater at a bar ) and we feel brave cos we don't wear gloves much anymore Scarves are required initially but need to be removed if you walk around much. Still a few chunks of ice lying around if you look close enough, but it won't be for long I guesss. Bangladesh will be a shock - April is the hottest month there, mid-30s and humid!

Time is running out...

I have to leave Beijing in 2 months, and there's still so many things I want to do, eat, buy, take pics of, and most importantly, so many great friends I want to spend time with! Agh! I can't believe I've already been here for 10 months.... this really IS my home! Going back to Adelaide to catch up with friends and family, eat some favourites, have some free time again, stop being so poor, breathe some fresh air and get stuck into some study will all be great... but first I need to leave Beijing, my work, life and friends here

Must go, paying by the 15 mins Hope that wherever you are in the world, the sun is shining for you!

Luv and hugs, Flic