China Life.

I get a lot of questions when people find out that I live in China. Lots of questions about my living environment, the people that surround me and my everyday lifestyle. I will try to answer some of these quandaries and give a more in depth account of my situation in Beijing.

The most common question is about the most important thing: Food. The food in China is…unique. Some is insanely hǎochī (delicious) and like no Chinese food I have ever had in the States. Other dishes are less than desirable. The biggest difference between “American Chinese” and authentic Chinese food is mostly in the sauce. I feel like at any P.F. Cheng’s everything you order comes in a thick and heavy sauce. This is often not the case in Beijing. In my experience, some of the best places I have been to are hole in the wall dives that serve rice with tomato and egg or eggplant in a light sauce. Not all food experiences are a pleasant surprise, I have tried chicken feet and cow intestine and neither were hǎochī.

The next most common question: What is it like to live in a communist country? To be honest, the Chinese as a whole are well informed about world events and know how their society differs. But most respect their government, so I am choosing to do the same. Communism contrasts greatly with democracy, but as we have seen from the recent issues with health care reform, not all types of government fit all groups of people.

Language. This is a daily struggle for me. The main language in Beijing is Mandarin and most people speak it. I am currently trying my best to be one of them. I have been taking lessons from a local student and trying to improve my skills. Unfortunately, the progress is slow. Many people speak English but it always seems that the important people, like cab drivers, waiters and cable guys, don’t. It is an on-going process…

I often get questions about my living conditions. I live in an apartment very similar to any living quarters in an American city. 17^th floor, 100 square meters, tv, cable (mostly Chinese, except HBO!), kitchen, stove, bathroom. In comparison to my friends living in Denver and Chicago, I am paying substantially less in rent, especially since I live right downtown. Most amenities in China are cheaper than in the States, but it is all relative.

What type of work do you do in Beijing? I get asked this all the time. I am starting a new position when I return working for a Chinese company doing marketing and events for an online business networking site. My colleagues speak English at levels varying from totally fluently to beginning tidbits, but all are very happy and eager to practice their skills with me.

Communication is tricky in China. There is a 14-hour time difference from my family in Colorado. This makes phone calls a well-timed affair. I mostly use Skype to talk to people in America. Facebook is banned by the Chinese government along with YouTube and a few other select sites. This makes keeping in touch a bit complicated but I e-mail a lot and talk to people when I can. I miss them dearly, but hope they come visit and love to keep up with their lives!