July 30, 2007

Time spent here in China has gone by quickly. Everyday there has been something new to discover about my little world. This past weekend, I discovered how to get from the heart of Beijing to my apartment in the northwest section of the city using mass transit. There is always going by foot, but muscle and bone can only take so much and I find I would spend more stopping to have a rest, maybe a beer or something to eat. Subway and bus travel in Beijing are affordable and easy.

It takes about an hour or more to accomplish something a taxi could do in half the time. Traffic as it is, it didn't hurt to find an alternative way to get to where I need to go. Beijing's mass transit are a conglomeration of people all going in a million different directions. Buses cost about 4 Jiao ( $.05) with a card I bought last week. Using the same card for the subway costs about 3 RMB ($.40). Subway isn't cheap, but it was one of my small victories last week.

Being that this is Monday, I'm due for some small victory this week. I'm already claiming victory as I create this blog. It took some courage to throw my ideas and personal triumphs onto the internet. This is in many ways an experimentation in journalism and I hope you enjoy.

Minnesota life in Beijing...................
As it may be, I met a Chinese-American man who owns a restaurant near to the building where I work. He was born in Beijing, perhaps he never gave up citizenship, but grew up on the East Coast. I told him I was from Minnesota and he said that we lived in White Bear Lake for 2 years. He might have been a grown up at the time and may only remember bits and pieces of Minnesota life. I got a strange look when I mentioned I was from Oakdale.  You can get the same look from people who live in the Twin Cities.

His restaurant, Pier Restaurant and Bar has a full bar and serves Chinese food, seafood, steak, and more. I was with a friend so we split the steak. He and the owner happened to be good friends. To make a long story short we paid half of what the bill was stated while having a Heineken, shrimp done well, a Chinese dish and a steak that could easily be cut with a butter knife. That was lunch for Sunday, July 29th. I prefer the Heineken before the Chinese beer and will try to save some money to have a pint of Guiness.

Another victory, as I keep this entry brief, was the fact that on Sunday, July 30, 2007 I went to 8:00 am Mass at the Church of Saint Joseph in the heart of Beijing. The church was established in the 1600's. I'm sure there are records of fires so it might not be the original church, but the building is quite old. When I get a decent photo, I will be sure to include it on my postings. As it is I'll have to be colorful with the words. Hallelujah. I even found an English bookstore, which gets a resounding Amen. It was a humid day. Rain rarely comes. Next Sunday I'm praying for rain. Enough for now.