China craziness

So, after a long and strange semester I finished my last paper on land and labor within the medieval English economy and Piers Plowman. Then in a fit of euphoria enhanced by Dayquil, I proceeded to pack and clean with record speed. But I did take a break to party with my roommate, Ann, and her friends and then to go see Lincoln. These necessary breaks meant that I stayed up the whole night before going to the airport. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the insanity of finishing a long paper, or just my usual insanity, but I decided I was from Australia when I began to talk to my seat companion for my 12 hour flight. Kept it up the whole time. I told him I was from Perth and described it. I had no idea Perth was so boring but homelike until then. It really was more fun getting to know two people instead of just getting to know one. Anyway, after I arrived in Beijing, slept, and sobered up a bit, I realized I may possibly be the craziest person I know. Well, I guess I'll have to live with myself and whoever else is inside. At least it stopped me from talking too much about medieval English economics, since that only interests my father as he can talk with authority about economics. Anyway, my father and his driver easily spotted me at the airport, since I am always easily spotted in a crowd in China (blonde hair). We drove to the apartment and I made Dad watch a Canadian comedy (instead of another drama) after he figured out (with help from me) how to order pizza online and took me to his favorite food store and the nearby mall. I think I was helping him order the pizza because he needed someone to tell him what to order. Like myself, my father dislikes making decisions. So, despite the fact that I was not hungry, he made me decide what pizzas to get. I ended up angering my sister since I forgot she doesn't like olives and ordered a pizza with olives. Then Dad proudly showed me the local market and the many different kinds of juice he liked. I don't know if there was a purpose to us going there except to show me the cool places around. No idea why he took me there since I wasn't hungry, but he seemed to like going out to buy juice. Also, the trip to the mall was strange, but we walked around at which point I noticed that my painful shoulder muscles were not loosening up or getting less painful.

As a side note, my back and shoulder muscles have been really tight with the stress of writing papers and while carrying a very heavy duffle down the length of Denver Terminal B (about a mile), I believe I strained it. I didn't notice much on the flight to San Francisco, though it hurt carrying the bag in the airport. I definitely didn't notice much of anything on the twelve hour flight, but couldn't sleep much the first night in Beijing because of pain and jet lag. So, I am currently wearing a smelly Chinese medicine patch that seems to be reducing the inflammation. But I smell like minty Bengay and I hate the smell of Bengay. Worth it though.

After Ekitzel got home from work, she got to see all the goods I brought with me for consumption. These included massive amounts of Nyquil, contact moisturizing drops, toothpaste, salt and pepper shakers, a 7 pound tin of hot chocolate mix, and lots of Christmas cookies and chocolate. Dad began pretty quickly on Kitz's favorite Dutch caramel wafers. They will be gone soon. I hope she gets some before he eats them all. He also had some Gelt, though Hanukah ended last week. I now see that he ate my two bags of potato chips from the plane, made inroads into the Kinder Schokolade, and started with the Lebkuchen. I forgot this about my father - he never admits he's hungry, but if you leave food out he will eat it in his own time. Or like our Halloween candy, he will just taste it, everyday, a few pieces at a time. I hid my candy hoard every year from my brothers and sisters, but also from my Dad.

So after a very interrupted night last night, I got up to see the Beijing smog, took a shower, and rushed to try to get ready in time to go with Dad and Kitz to the metro station. It wasn't until the elevator that I realized I forgot my phone. So, they left and I went back. Then I went downstairs except I forgot what floor the entrance was on. I pushed E because it was lower than one and I thought it was like Europe. That was a strange floor with equipment. Then I thought maybe it was -1. Nope. For all the education I have, I still struggle to get out of buildings. It was floor 1, but they all have a similar looking elevator hallway as an excuse. I made it to the metro station on the other side of the mall, which I found with Kitz's directions. All these times though I was using a back entrance to the apartment complex which you needed a key card to get back into. I had only gone out with my Dad before, who had a key card, but I didn't have one. This will be relevant later on.

I was planning on going to Tiananmen Square today and seeing Mao's Mausoleum, but that didn't happen. It was right across the street, and I thought about going over, but I was following all the other people and they headed right to Tiananmen - Gate of Heaven Peace, leading to the Forbidden City. Not being capable of much coherent thought (blame finals, pain, cold medication, and being tired), I followed the crowd, figured out how to get my sister's camera to work with my SD card, and began taking pictures. No one asked me to be in a picture and I think it is because of the aura of crazy that seems to be currently generating from me. But I did get asked directions (in yet another place I am a stranger to) but that is because I look like I speak English and this Italian or Spanish lady must not have spoken Chinese. Anyway, I got my ticket and wandered around the Forbidden City for about four hours. The air was really bad today and the mask I borrowed wasn't working and steaming up my glasses, so by the end of four hours I was feeling very sick with a bad headache. So, I went back to the apartment.

Or I tried to. I got to the metro station on the other side of Tiananmen and transfered and got back to home station. Then I took the wrong exit to the street and couldn't see the mall. I knew I needed a key card to get in the back way, so I was going to have to go around. I found the Phoenix City apartment complex, but had to walk a ways to find an entrance that didn't require a key card. So, I got in and started looking for building F, though we live in building G (Kitz told me this later). I couldn't find anything above building E, and kept getting lost walking around the compound (it is very maze-like with gardens and playgrounds and covered walking trails). At this point I had been trying to find the building and wandering around for about 30 minutes. So, I texted my sister. Many times. She got back to me. I was in the wrong compound but then I couldn't find the door I came in since all the doors going out also needed a key card to get out of. Eventually, I got out and she directed me to the other compound, where I found the building waiting for me with clean air in the apartment and food and juice. Then I needed a nap. I uploaded photos while I waited for the painkillers to work. And they did and it was wonderful. And then I slept for an hour and a half and that was wonderful. Then I had to get up, get turned around on the metro, and go shopping with some of Kitz's friends which was not as wonderful. But then we had dinner and though I wasn't hungry, it was wonderful. I also saw some stretch cords I want at Uniqlo, and that was wonderful. Then we took a motorized pedicab home, which was wonderful (okay - maybe not so much).