September 29, 2011 by jess
OK, it’s vent time.
Opening an account here was really quite a breeze – go in with a native speaker, fill in form (with native speaker’s help) show passport, get a debit card, create 6 digit pin, and presto. What has NOT been fun is the process of:
a) getting a new pin when I forgot mine (I’ll explain that shortly – yes, my stupid fault…ish) and
b) receiving an international transfer.
Issue a):
The keypad at which I created my pin was upside down from the one at the ATM. Not helpful. (more…)
Category Travel | Tags: account,ATM,bank,banking,debit card,international transfer,pin | 2 Comments
September 27, 2011 by jess
before
after
No more sore toes! Of course I could just always watch where I am walking.
Category Travel | Tags: kick,metal | No Comments
September 26, 2011 by jess
Category Travel | Tags: pollution | 2 Comments
September 25, 2011 by jess
this sweet and very nervous little fellow would not come down for food and water - I hope he changed his mind once I left
Today I found a few street kitties down an alley. They needed a serious brush and some flea treatment and looked at me with big eyes. Someone had fed them occasionally, there was an empty tofu container with some water and a few stray kibbles on the ground. I hunted for a supermarket and bought some catfood, bowls and some water and retraced my steps. (more…)
Category Travel | Tags: Beijing Ashes,mulberry juice,steam,stray cat | No Comments
September 24, 2011 by jess
on the footpath
I have a habit of emailing or texting when I’m walking. I’d like to say it’s just developed here, as I’m a busy student with few hours in the day to communicate with people outside of class, but that would be a lie.
A very good friend of mine with whom I have traveled overseas quite a lot (as an aside, this week I discovered her surname means ‘notebook’ in Mandarin) has been my minder on many occasions, telling me to get off my phone and watch where I’m walking. I’ve never actually had any mishaps, until, that is, I arrived here. This is probably a small miracle, given my family is not well-known for agility. At school I managed to rupture the vein in my arm doing archery (with my own bow) and my sister mummified herself in a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon. (more…)
Category Travel | Tags: footpath,metal,notebook,tatanus,tyres | 2 Comments
September 18, 2011 by jess
Category Art, Food | Tags: care pack,crickets,Disney,Mickey Mouse,smog,Snow White | No Comments
September 18, 2011 by jess
I just caught the train back from a visit to the Sanlitun markets. I went both yesterday and today and ran my Mandarin through its paces. I managed to have a fairly fluent conversation with a lady who asked where I was from, then specifically asked what part of Australia. She told me one of her children was studying in Aus, I asked where, she said Melbourne. Good to be able to have a basic conversation without struggling. I’m certain that staying away from expats is helping.
Besides, the more Mandarin you speak, the more you get the ‘Chinese price’ rather than the ‘foreigner price’ at the markets. HA!
Category language, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: Film,Russian,Sanlitun,Westerner | 2 Comments
September 18, 2011 by jess
I love my carbs. Love, love, love them. A friend of mine once called me a ‘chip-a-tarian’ because he swore I could live on hot chips. I love bread, pasta, rice noodles, potatoes, potatoes on pizza. If it’s complex and a carb, I’ll have it. All of it, thank you very much.
Today I went to the supermarket and bought a lovely little crispy baguette. I have butter and some lovely aged, sharp cheese at home, so was really looking forward to a little lunch back at the apartment. (more…)
Category Food | Tags: baguette,cheese,durian,sandwich | 2 Comments
September 14, 2011 by jess
Most people know about the 4 different vocal tones in Mandarin – each syllable has a specific tone which gives it meaning. To put it in layman’s terms, the tones are:
1st – high
2nd – rising
3rd – falling then rising
4th – falling
Getting the tone wrong isn’t like emphasising the wrong syllable in English. It can completely change the meaning of what you are saying e.g. the same syllable for ‘mother’ also means ‘horse’. (more…)
Category language | Tags: 1st tone,2nd tone,3rd tone,4th tone,character,Hanzi | No Comments
September 13, 2011 by jess
This guy is my all time favourite. We saw a smaller version of him for a few thousand (Aussie) in a gallery but photos were not permitted.
Another 6 hours spent at 798 and I’m still not sure all ground has been covered! (more…)
Category Art | Tags: 798 art district,beijing,tank | 2 Comments
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