I'm going to be in Beijing this summer for a public interest legal-aid internship. I'll be leaving tomorrow and gone until Aug 3. I'll be keeping a travel/work blog while I'm in Beijing, over at Travel Well These Waters.
As things stand, I'm not sure what my free time/internet time looks like, since I will be working most of the day, and I want to go out and explore some nights as well. Weekends will be free at least! There are eight other interns from the U.S. working with me, mostly from other law schools, one from mine, and hopefully we'll get along well enough to go out together. :)
I'm excited about the internship, especially since it's my first prolonged stay in China (especially on my own); previously, I've only visited for fun or with family. This will be my first real experience "living" in China, and it will give me a good idea for whether it's to my taste or not, which will weigh in my considerations for future jobs (do I want to live in China? would I mind?). The big concern right now is, as it is worldwide, the H1N1 virus. Personally, I don't think it's terribly worrisome (the actual flu is not terrible and the normal yearly flu kills more), but acting governments do have to respond to public outcry and fear, naturally, by instilling certain preventative measures regarding international travel. This means that customs forms will be carefully checked, additional health inspections have been put in place, and you run the risk that if anyone on your flight has symptoms of the flu (any flu, really), the entire plane will be quarantined. I expect China to be especially wary of flights coming from the U.S. or Canada, as these countries have had the highest rates of infection outside of Mexico (China currently only has three reported cases).
My mom, who flew to China a week ago, has kept me updated on what to expect, so that at least is reassuring, going into the situation somewhat armed with knowledge. I'm a little worried about what might happen should the entire plane be quarantined, but I figure as long as I don't have the flu, no matter the delay, I will have to be released at some point...it may delay the beginning of my internship and cause more of a hassle, but it will hardly ruin my entire summer.
I'm not sure if the rest of the world has instigated such stringent health inspections for international flights, but it's something to keep in mind for anyone traveling abroad this summer. Basic preventative measures of getting the flu: same as always! Wash your hands with soap or clean with alcohol wipes, especially after being in public and touching public surfaces. Cover your mouth when you cough. Um, eat well and sleep well, because those are both incredibly beneficial to boosting your immune system. I feel like a mom, orz.
I think I should be fine - I speak fluent conversational Mandarin (does that make sense? lol) and I know people in Beijing who should be able to help out. Hopefully, after the first week there, and I've showed no signs of carrying a horrible infectious flu from the sickly West, I should be able to go out and about with no problems.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
fuck fuck fuck and more
Incredibly frustrated, stressed, and tired. Prone to crying at the smallest thing. It feels like there are endless things to do and I can't take the first step towards accomplishing them until I'm over this emotional block and hurdle. I want to throw a tantrum instead of doing anything productive, even though it would serve only to make me more frustrated.
I hate technology, I hate this internet connection, I hate having to see you, I hate not being able to see you, I hate having to write, not being able to write, I hate not accomplishing things I was supposed to accomplish yesterday, and I hate it even more when it's out of my control.
I miss you. I miss you so fucking much, and I don't know if you get that. I'm so fucking stressed and unhappy and that always makes me want to swear up a storm, or at least use the word fuck a lot: fuck this life, fuck you all, fuck this fuckass piece of fucking shit.
I think I'll just curl up in bed and cry. That's right. I going to be Emo with a capital E, get over yourselves. Sorry I feel so much that apparently whenever I feel down at all, I get slapped with a label. Fuck you.
This isn't fair. I just want this to be fixed. Or for me to not feel this way, helpless and strained and under so much pressure (from what? from what?); I just want it to go away so I can deal with my life again.
I fucking hate things out of my control that fuck up my life.
I hate technology, I hate this internet connection, I hate having to see you, I hate not being able to see you, I hate having to write, not being able to write, I hate not accomplishing things I was supposed to accomplish yesterday, and I hate it even more when it's out of my control.
I miss you. I miss you so fucking much, and I don't know if you get that. I'm so fucking stressed and unhappy and that always makes me want to swear up a storm, or at least use the word fuck a lot: fuck this life, fuck you all, fuck this fuckass piece of fucking shit.
I think I'll just curl up in bed and cry. That's right. I going to be Emo with a capital E, get over yourselves. Sorry I feel so much that apparently whenever I feel down at all, I get slapped with a label. Fuck you.
This isn't fair. I just want this to be fixed. Or for me to not feel this way, helpless and strained and under so much pressure (from what? from what?); I just want it to go away so I can deal with my life again.
I fucking hate things out of my control that fuck up my life.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
be open to learning from life
Yesterday, I flew home from St. Louis to Raleigh. As I got onto the regional jet (a very small plane), the blonde flight attendant was standing by the open cockpit door, eating something off a styrofoam plate and chatting with the pilot. My initial reaction was to be annoyed, because I think if you're going to be in the service industry, you should do your job well, and that means smiling and being polite no matter who you deal with. Having been in the service industry (food, at least, not quite a flight attendant - though I have considered that as an alternative life path, because in Asia at least it is a well-respected, decently-paying job where you are only any good when you are young and beautiful, but I digress), I expect people to at least smile and express some sort of welcome. It's not that difficult.
My flight was full of middle-aged North Carolinians, eager to fly home. A number of them were also Carolina Hurricane (hockey) fans, and were chatting happily about the game that night against Boston. As the flight attendant came down the aisle to prepare for take-off, she stopped at the seat in front of mine where the man is getting text messages on the score from a friend at the game.
"Now, sir," she said mock-severely, "you should have put that away already!"
This turned into a good-natured ribbing, where the man offered to pay the pilot $1 per update on the game and she laughed and said that he doesn't need the money.
Later in our flight, the captain welcomed us to our flight over the intercom, and threw in a little nod of recognition to the Hurricanes fans on board. It made me smile, because suddenly the flight was much more friendly.
As the flight continued, Missy, the flight attendant, continued joking around with the man in front of me. I began to realize I had misjudged her, because she was actually very nice, and much more personable than many a flight attendant I've come across. She was very attentive while passing out drinks, as well.
Halfway through the flight, the captain announced an update on the game: despite a 2-0 start for Boston, the score was now 2-1. The 'Canes had scored.
The man in front of me pumped his fist. "Yes!" he exclaimed.
And it was about then that I realized I was hiding a smile, and that I liked the Southern mentality of being hospitable, being friendly to strangers, and generally making nice. While I am an excellent Northerner in that I can ignore people sitting next to me except for the briefest "Excuse me", it makes me happy inside when people are more than just polite to each other, but actually friendly. It restores a little faith in humanity, and reminds me that, no matter how much people can plain suck sometimes, people can also be incredible.
So I learned on my short one and a half hour flight last night that I shouldn't make snap judgments about people, or should at least be open to changing my mind and admitting I was wrong about someone. I learned that I like friendly people, and that it generally applies to Southerners (despite my also excellent Northerner gripe about the South; sometimes I pretend to be elitist). I learned that I really do consider North Carolina home. Not just the place I've lived the longest, or the place my family lives, but home. In all its connotations.
The day before that, M and I were talking about New York, and how he loves it because it's busy and alive. He complained that when he goes back to Maryland, there's nothing to do anymore. "Oh," I said, "there's really not that much to do in North Carolina either, when I think about it. But I still love it."
He looked at me. "Well," he said, "that's because it's home."
My flight was full of middle-aged North Carolinians, eager to fly home. A number of them were also Carolina Hurricane (hockey) fans, and were chatting happily about the game that night against Boston. As the flight attendant came down the aisle to prepare for take-off, she stopped at the seat in front of mine where the man is getting text messages on the score from a friend at the game.
"Now, sir," she said mock-severely, "you should have put that away already!"
This turned into a good-natured ribbing, where the man offered to pay the pilot $1 per update on the game and she laughed and said that he doesn't need the money.
Later in our flight, the captain welcomed us to our flight over the intercom, and threw in a little nod of recognition to the Hurricanes fans on board. It made me smile, because suddenly the flight was much more friendly.
As the flight continued, Missy, the flight attendant, continued joking around with the man in front of me. I began to realize I had misjudged her, because she was actually very nice, and much more personable than many a flight attendant I've come across. She was very attentive while passing out drinks, as well.
Halfway through the flight, the captain announced an update on the game: despite a 2-0 start for Boston, the score was now 2-1. The 'Canes had scored.
The man in front of me pumped his fist. "Yes!" he exclaimed.
And it was about then that I realized I was hiding a smile, and that I liked the Southern mentality of being hospitable, being friendly to strangers, and generally making nice. While I am an excellent Northerner in that I can ignore people sitting next to me except for the briefest "Excuse me", it makes me happy inside when people are more than just polite to each other, but actually friendly. It restores a little faith in humanity, and reminds me that, no matter how much people can plain suck sometimes, people can also be incredible.
So I learned on my short one and a half hour flight last night that I shouldn't make snap judgments about people, or should at least be open to changing my mind and admitting I was wrong about someone. I learned that I like friendly people, and that it generally applies to Southerners (despite my also excellent Northerner gripe about the South; sometimes I pretend to be elitist). I learned that I really do consider North Carolina home. Not just the place I've lived the longest, or the place my family lives, but home. In all its connotations.
The day before that, M and I were talking about New York, and how he loves it because it's busy and alive. He complained that when he goes back to Maryland, there's nothing to do anymore. "Oh," I said, "there's really not that much to do in North Carolina either, when I think about it. But I still love it."
He looked at me. "Well," he said, "that's because it's home."
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
a number (4) of distractions
While working on this write-on, I’ve been distracted by some things recently.
01. Food/recipe blogs. I’ve had this strange urge to cook or bake a lot recently (which I’ve only partially accomplished), but I’ve been looking at a lot of pictures of foods. The large websites with people submitting their recipes are not as helpful or personal as the individual food blogs, I’ve discovered, especially because, with the latter, people can comment with their own experiences with and alterations to the recipe.
My favorite food blog so far, I think, that I discovered just today is this blog. I'm also a fan of this LJ baking community: http://community.livejournal.com/bakebakebake. Mostly I like looking at the desserts, though I doubt I'd commit to a lot of them. (I'm not a huge fan of cakes/sweet things/frosting. I lack a sweet tooth and I tend only to crave small amounts of sugar or chocolate occasionaly - say, certain times of the month. There are a few things I will always like though, probably because I get them so rarely: cheesecake (original) and tiramisu (made well).)
This blog is also nice with a large variety. Just Bento has delicious and cute recipes for bentos, which one day I may try, if I ever acquire a bento box...
Right now, I'm craving potatoes au gratin like crazy. Damn you, J, for not liking things with cheese. Probably it's better that I don't run out and spend more money on potatoes and cheese though... I still need to find another use for buttermilk.
02. Windows 7. I want to try it out so badly, but installing it on a computer running XP just takes too much (technical) work and I'm lazy and, currently, very easily frustrated by tech stuff. (I still need to reformat my baby laptop and, goddammit, I'll probably just buy an external DVD drive and make my dad do the work when I'm home.)
I'm also not a fan of how the Windows 7 Release Candidate will allow you to try it only until March (then starts shutting down your computer every 2 hours until you buy an officially released version, fuck you) and also requires you to wipe out your user files before installing the official release.
But oh I do like shiny things, and Windows 7 is quite that. It's gotten a lot of good reviews, too; the consensus is that it's much better than Vista.
On second thought, I might actually install it onto my baby laptop (which is longer than using "netbook" but cuter, I can't help it! I should name it...maybe after I'm done being angry with it) if it'll save a reformatting. That's the computer I want to take with me to China this summer anyway. I can try it out and see.
03. PageFour. Oh god, I'm a total sucker for shiny new things with organization and tabs. Tabs! I'm all over this. I'm trying this out right now. I'll let you know how it goes.
04. Apartment-hunting. Still looking but for the moment I can say I'm a big fan of places that include all (or most) utilities in the rent. I also am a big fan of the washer/dryer set being either in the unit or at least on the same floor. (Paying for laundry with quarters is still a pain, because ugh, saving and hunting for quarters - but not having to haul laundry down the stairs will be a big improvement.) One of the things I'm also looking for (because I just don't care that much about the size of my room), is light. I thrive off sunlight and lots of natural light. Dark apartments are depressing and make me never want to stay home. Another huge plus are nice kitchens (especially shiny new ones that are all clean and include dishwashers, which for us will just be like a giant drying rack)! I want to cook a lot next year and not hate my kitchen.
But, like I said, still looking. Hopefully T and I will settle on something soon, because it'd be nice to get it out of the way before we're in China.
01. Food/recipe blogs. I’ve had this strange urge to cook or bake a lot recently (which I’ve only partially accomplished), but I’ve been looking at a lot of pictures of foods. The large websites with people submitting their recipes are not as helpful or personal as the individual food blogs, I’ve discovered, especially because, with the latter, people can comment with their own experiences with and alterations to the recipe.
My favorite food blog so far, I think, that I discovered just today is this blog. I'm also a fan of this LJ baking community: http://community.livejournal.com/bakebakebake. Mostly I like looking at the desserts, though I doubt I'd commit to a lot of them. (I'm not a huge fan of cakes/sweet things/frosting. I lack a sweet tooth and I tend only to crave small amounts of sugar or chocolate occasionaly - say, certain times of the month. There are a few things I will always like though, probably because I get them so rarely: cheesecake (original) and tiramisu (made well).)
This blog is also nice with a large variety. Just Bento has delicious and cute recipes for bentos, which one day I may try, if I ever acquire a bento box...
Right now, I'm craving potatoes au gratin like crazy. Damn you, J, for not liking things with cheese. Probably it's better that I don't run out and spend more money on potatoes and cheese though... I still need to find another use for buttermilk.
02. Windows 7. I want to try it out so badly, but installing it on a computer running XP just takes too much (technical) work and I'm lazy and, currently, very easily frustrated by tech stuff. (I still need to reformat my baby laptop and, goddammit, I'll probably just buy an external DVD drive and make my dad do the work when I'm home.)
I'm also not a fan of how the Windows 7 Release Candidate will allow you to try it only until March (then starts shutting down your computer every 2 hours until you buy an officially released version, fuck you) and also requires you to wipe out your user files before installing the official release.
But oh I do like shiny things, and Windows 7 is quite that. It's gotten a lot of good reviews, too; the consensus is that it's much better than Vista.
On second thought, I might actually install it onto my baby laptop (which is longer than using "netbook" but cuter, I can't help it! I should name it...maybe after I'm done being angry with it) if it'll save a reformatting. That's the computer I want to take with me to China this summer anyway. I can try it out and see.
03. PageFour. Oh god, I'm a total sucker for shiny new things with organization and tabs. Tabs! I'm all over this. I'm trying this out right now. I'll let you know how it goes.
04. Apartment-hunting. Still looking but for the moment I can say I'm a big fan of places that include all (or most) utilities in the rent. I also am a big fan of the washer/dryer set being either in the unit or at least on the same floor. (Paying for laundry with quarters is still a pain, because ugh, saving and hunting for quarters - but not having to haul laundry down the stairs will be a big improvement.) One of the things I'm also looking for (because I just don't care that much about the size of my room), is light. I thrive off sunlight and lots of natural light. Dark apartments are depressing and make me never want to stay home. Another huge plus are nice kitchens (especially shiny new ones that are all clean and include dishwashers, which for us will just be like a giant drying rack)! I want to cook a lot next year and not hate my kitchen.
But, like I said, still looking. Hopefully T and I will settle on something soon, because it'd be nice to get it out of the way before we're in China.
Monday, May 4, 2009
an occassion, a thought, a complaint
An occasion:
It's awesome to be done with 1L year, even if I'm not all done with obligations. There's still the write-on to do, but after a weekend off, the prospect of doing work tomorrow isn't so awful. It was a relaxing weekend, in any case. :) And mostly it's been nice weather, which is especially good when coinciding with time off.
A thought:
It's strange how time (and distance) pulls some people together and yet separates other people, oftentimes not on bad terms. Drifting away happens and it's not even quite sad because it's so gradual. I almost wish we were still as close as we used to be (strange how she manages where we can't), but to be honest, I don't think either of us are invested enough to make the effort.
A complaint:
Lollipop is going to be one of those annoyingly catchy songs I wish I hadn't listened to, isn't it? Oh damn.
It's awesome to be done with 1L year, even if I'm not all done with obligations. There's still the write-on to do, but after a weekend off, the prospect of doing work tomorrow isn't so awful. It was a relaxing weekend, in any case. :) And mostly it's been nice weather, which is especially good when coinciding with time off.
A thought:
It's strange how time (and distance) pulls some people together and yet separates other people, oftentimes not on bad terms. Drifting away happens and it's not even quite sad because it's so gradual. I almost wish we were still as close as we used to be (strange how she manages where we can't), but to be honest, I don't think either of us are invested enough to make the effort.
A complaint:
Lollipop is going to be one of those annoyingly catchy songs I wish I hadn't listened to, isn't it? Oh damn.
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