A Day in the Life...

Ni Hao! In just two weeks of my being here, I thought I would share some insights into the day to day life in this wonderfully hectic city that is Beijing:


· Costa coffee is much better than Starbucks. Yes, I've let go of being a coffee snob with the no franchise policy.


· An afternoon kip at your desk seems just as effective as an afternoon coffee run..when in Rome! We are also fined 10 kuai by the PwC police if we don’t lock our computers during lunchtime (usually, the worst thing that ever happens to me in Melbourne is that I'll return to my desk to find that someone may have changed my language settings to Chinese....!)


· It is possible to fit 37 people in an elevator with a maximum capacity of 21. 

Office elevator queue!! 

· It’s not uncommon to constantly bump into expats you met out the other night or to make friends at the nail salon and the Gym, like Belle from NYC, Maya from Israel and Lisa from South Africa.


· I’ve become accustomed to the hawking on the street... now learning to ignore the indoor habit where they spit into garbage bins.


· I become uncomfortable and angry when I discover the Chinese man is not taking a photo of the scenery behind me, but actually of me.


· You don't need to go to Maccau to gamble. Simply crossing the street will satisfy this urge where the odds are seemingly against you with the cars, bikes, e-bikes, pedicabs, motor cycles and trucks allowed right of way when the green man/bicycle symbols are flashing, sometimes even travelling down the wrong side of the road; best to do it shielded by a crowd full of other like-minded punters crossing the street.


· There’s an abundance of cute fluffy puppy dogs, some even wearing little doggie booties - not the kind I was expecting. But no sightings of any big dogs, as pets taller than 35cm are forbidden within a 20km radius of the CBD!


· Actual toilets are underrated in Beijing i.e. rare. One must become accustomed to the drop hole- even at a major cinema complex (see further discussion below).


· After walking the streets for miles underneath the warm Beijing sun, that nice brown tan you're sporting is actually a layer of dust.


· Beijing is incredibly large, perfect for exploring; with an abundance of cafes, bars and shops to discover in my spare time, this is my kind of city.

Given all of the above, China ‘moments’ are inevitable... that is, when one finds themselves in awkward, uncomfortable, strange or frustrating circumstances caused by the distinctive Chinese culture and compounded by the considerable language barrier. Here are a few of my own, for example....

· Requesting a foot massage (like the cheap kind you get in Melbourne), but ending up in a full length gown and a foot milk bath followed by a chocolate mask with no turning back....awkward!

· Feeling as if I’m in the Amazing Race when I was sent to extend my visa with just a small map in Chinese marked with an ‘X’ in hand. After a 45 minute cab ride and being dropped in the middle of nowhere, I roamed the streets eventually stumbling upon the three story visa office and of course not a sign in English.


· Being chased by the ‘movie’ police when leaving the cinema a couple of minutes early to beat the ‘loo’ crowd after a long haul seated in Titanic 3D. Obviously speaking no common tongue, I stopped, turned around and argued until I finally understood that the gentleman wanted me to return my pair of 3D glasses. Having left them on my seat, and now confronted by a slew of uniformed men, I surrendered my purse, assuring them I would be back with the glasses when my friend came out of the cinema...surely my designer handbag containing my wallet, camera, and iphone just about covered them !!!


Despite all of the above, I've immersed myself into Beijing life by taking Mandarin lessons, trying local delicacies (nothing too adventurous!), exploring the 798 and Dashanzi Art District, and spending time meeting both locals and foreigners. Enjoy...

My humble abode

A typical breakfast, working on my Mandarin ;p

Office lunch with Iris & Pink 

Shabbat @ Chabad, Lido - Tammy, myself, Dror

Katie from Paris, myself at Dror's birthday party on Saturday

Amit from Israel and myself

Beijing

798 Art District

798 Art District

798 Art District

798 Art District

Sanlitun Village by night

Until next time, Zai Jian! xx