Behind the Scenes in Beijing

the original posse

Meredith (10), Joey (26), me (31), Laura (41) and Nancy (71)

the apartment

Building 4, Floor 12, Room G. We have two (and a half) bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area, a dining area, a kitchen and a patio which we don’t use mainly because it’s cold.

the washing machine

Cute, compact and confusing. There are no dryers in the entire country so there’s laundry hanging everywhere, always.  Our jeans are crunchy and our towels are stiff.  Everyone lives like this.  We’re getting used to it.  It’s fine.

the toilets

Pretty modern for the most part.  Luckily we’ve only had one squat-box experience so far.  Meredith was not a fan.

the language

“Meredith, can you tell him we want to go to the store for fruit.”

… and that about sums it up.

the pollution

Some days are worse than others.  The mystical haze around the sun is beautiful in the strangest way. What’s not beautiful is the grimy film on the cars and the occasional stench of burnt dirt.  The photo below was taken around 3pm.  It’s intense.  Recycle and buy a hybrid.

the people

TEDFellow and 30 year-old film-maker Bristol Baughan joined us for a few dinners and a trip to the Great Wall.  Check out Bristol's latest film Racing Dreams.  Everyone enjoyed her company but our Lisa Loeb karaoke duet over a few beers really sealed the deal. 

the internet

Skype calls with family have been great but the connection is particularly slow in the evenings. (example shown below) 

the food

Incredible.  Lucky for us Joey has great taste and we are all a bunch of foodies. We recently got to experience a traditional 3 hour lunch in a small smoky room in an old part of town.  I sipped on Chinese vodka, some sweet cherry wine and a foreign beer all before 3pm.  We had fluffy dumplings, spicy mushrooms, grilled beans, sliced potatoes, saucy beef, and chilled shrimp for lunch and crispy watermelon with cherry tomatoes for dessert.  On the street we see the occasional candied fruit-on-a-stick alongside some sheep penis.  We’ve taken one or two breaks from dining out and we actually ordered some delivery. It’s true.

the weather

Freezing.  Mild.  Cold.  Brisk.  Sunny.  It varies.

the laughing

Just doesn’t stop.