Fun in the Big Apple

Addendum: I've added more photos!

After our monumental move, Andrew and I were ready for some fun in our lives. Of course, he's been in the city since May, so he's had much more time to get to know things, but that made things more fun, because he could show me around.

As you know, our 5 year wedding anniversary was only days after I arrived in New York. Andrew and I got dressed up and first went to Times Square, where we walked around, admiring all the lights, before having a delicious sushi dinner. I have to admit, Times Square is probably my favorite place in New York City. It's busy and crowded, but I really like all the skyscrapers, flashing lights, and crazy street performers.

Times Square

That night, Andrew took me to a showing of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," starring...Daniel Radcliffe (aka, Harry Potter)! This was our first Broadway experience, and I think we've got the bug now. Daniel wasn't super-amazing, but he was pretty good, and the sets, lighting, and music were all wonderful. Andrew had splurged and got us prime seats, so we were really close to the stage. It was such a fun experience, though pretty pricey. We're planning on seeing "Wicked" in February for my birthday.

That same weekend, we did a lot of exploring of New York City. With our trusty cart, we filled up on fresh potted herbs and goat cheese at the farmer's market in Union Square before walking all the way down to the tip of Manhattan, the South Ferry. On the way we passed the World Trade Center, Wall Street, City Hall, and Chinatown. From the South Ferry we could see the Statue of Liberty, New Jersey, and Governor's Island. We were exhausted after walking all that way!

Central Park

Downtown

George Washington Bridge

The next day we spent at the Discovery Center in Times Square. It was the last weekend to see the "Harry Potter" exhibit, and the "Pompeii" exhibit. Disappointingly, the HP exhibit was the same one I saw in Chicago in 2009, with a few minor alterations to include props from the newest films. The Pompeii exhibit was amazing, though, and almost better than seeing Pompeii in person. This museum is pretty awesome, and right now they have an interactive CSI exhibit going on where you can investigate different crime scenes and try to find the killer. We're planning on going before it closes in January.

In addition to that big weekend, we've spent nearly every weekend since then exploring downtown informally while we visit friends and attend events. Andrew's parents also came to visit for a few days, and I spent those days playing tour guide (albeit a very bad one). We explored a lot of lower Manhattan, and also made our way into Little Italy, where we feasted on yummy treats from Ferrara Cafe. We also visited Mark's old Columbia haunts and Andrew's school where he teaches.

Little Italy

Columbia Campus, Teacher's College

Andrew's School

We also explored a bit more of Washington Heights at a Medieval Faire at the Cloisters Museum. We dressed up in our old Lord of the Rings costumes and spent the day eating delicious giant cupcakes, watching jousts, and avoiding the rain. The setting was pretty perfect, with the medieval cloisters, forests, and river as a backdrop. And, it was free!

One other exciting thing we did was visit Occupy Wall Street. We wanted to see what all the fuss is about. While I agree with most of the sentiments expressed there, it felt a little silly and futile to see all the protests going on. I completely understand why they are there, but I don't see what it will accomplish. Andrew says it's important to be able to voice your opinion, and to let people know how you feel about something, and I guess there's something to be said for that.

This weekend Andrew and I are escaping the city. We're renting a car and driving four hours upstate to the New York/Vermont border for some lovely foliage-watching and apple-picking. I'll be sure to post with more pictures upon our return!

The Great Job Hunt

I've been in NYC for six weeks now. Here's a summary of my job hunt:

• 2 applications at the American Museum of Natural History
• 2 applications at the New York Historical Society
• 11 applications at Columbia University
• 2 newspaper applications
• 3 nanny applications
• 1 Starbucks application
• 1 Target application
• 2 Sur La Table applications
• 1 application at the Brooklyn Children's Museum
• 3 ESL Teacher applications
• 2 applications at bilingual schools
• 1 application at the Bronx Zoo
• 1 application at the Bronx Children's Museum
• 1 application at Discovery Times Square
• 1 application at the Museum of the City of New York

Total number of applications: 34

Total number of interviews: 1

Total number of "nos": 3

And those are only the ones I can remember. I've applied to other jobs, basically everything related to museums, education, ESL, retail, or working with kids. I'm starting to feel desperate. I'm not even getting calls or emails! Apparently finding a job in NYC is all about who you know. I've made some contacts through my friend Lilli (we used to work together at the Natural History Museum in L.A.), but I still haven't had any luck. I'm really hopeful that one of the nanny jobs will work out, since they were the only ones who actually interviewed me, and the hours and pay are exactly what I'm looking for. But my lack of actual nannying experience might be against me here. Then again, they did have me over for an interview, and they wouldn't have done that if they didn't think I could do the job, right? Still, I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I should know by the end of this week.

Addendum: Nanny job was a "no" as well...

There's No Place Like Home

Finally, after two months apart, me in China, Andrew in New York, and then another two months apart while I was in California, Andrew still in New York, we were reunited on August 30th, a mere two days before our 5 year wedding anniversary. Finally, the two of us, and our cat, were together in the place we'll be calling home for the next 3+ years.

Finding a place in New York City is a nightmare. Andrew was busy with classes and job hunting, and didn't have a ton of time to apartment hunt. I, on the other hand, had loads of time, but was incapable of follow-through. This actually made us a pretty good team. I would search, mostly through Craigslist, for available rentals, and Andrew would either shoot it down for sensible reasons ("Do you know how far away Long Island is??"), or he would scurry on over for a look. About the last week of July, I stumbled upon a little gem. I saw an advertisement for a "garden apartment" in the Bronx, a mere 1/2 mile from Andrew's job. We jumped on it, and after much begging (I even sent an email to the owner offering to pay more money in rent; is that legal???), she agreed to let us have it instead of one of the million other people who wanted it.

Everyone kept telling me that it probably wasn't as nice as I thought it was going to be, and not to feel stuck, I could always move someplace else, etc. You know what? It's even better than I hoped. I'm in love with this place, and if it were more than 1 bedroom, I'd probably live here forever because it's so cute and perfect for us. Of course, there are some bad things, but I can live with them for a few years.

The Good:

• It's within walking distance to Andrew's school.
• It has a patio and garden attached that we can use for BBQs and parties, and which the cat can roam around.
• The bathroom has excellent water pressure, a great supply of hot water, and a tub that actually stays plugged during baths.
• All rooms have great lighting.
• There's an open kitchen, and a dishwasher!
• Our landlords live in the unit above us (it's actually a duplex) and are quiet, clean, considerate, and very helpful.
• All of the windows are recessed, which means we have plenty of room for decorations in the window sills.
• It's only two blocks from the train station, supermarkets, Target, Starbucks, the post office, the thrift store, the gym, and everything else we need.
• Our neighborhood is really friendly and safe. Most days that I go out, people stop and say hello or offer to help carry my shopping cart up the steps.
• Rent is only $1,000 a month, which is really, really rare in NYC.

The Bad:

• There's no laundry on-site. However, the laundry mat is only 2 blocks away and is very good.
• It's only a 1 bedroom. But, we have a very, very large storage room that we've turned into an office, and could possibly use as a nursery someday.
• We had some problems with flooding during the hurricane, but the landlords have since repaired the problem.
• There are frequent problems with the train this far north, and on weekends we sometimes have to transfer a few times in order to get home.
• Our neighborhood is dirty. It feels run-down and shabby, but it still feels safe. I just hate the sight of all that trash.
• We live at the top of a flight of steps followed by a steep hill. It's quite a workout, especially with a cart full of groceries or laundry.

Without further ado, feast your eyes on these photos.

Gate up to our door

Front door

Patio space; we plan to spruce it up more next summer

My lovely kitchen as you walk in the front door

I love the openness of the kitchen. We're going to get a little island

Living room; the table & chairs are used but come from IKEA

Living room with futon for guests

Pull-out couch (ignore the wall; it's being painted this weekend)

I LOVE my bed. It was also used, but in amazing condition and makes me feel grown-up

The walls were painted this way; we might change them later

I love the big walk-in closet in our bedroom

Office area; it needs paint and decoration

My beautiful teal bathroom!

Our long term goals for the place include painting the kitchen yellow, the office green, the bathroom teal, and the living room blue. I think we'll leave the paint job in the bedroom for now because it'd be hard to paint over those dark colors. I'm hoping to get a pantry for the kitchen instead of the wire rack we have in there now. We also need an end table for next to the couch, a TV for the wall above the futon, and decorations for the walls. We're going to be printing a bunch of our travel pictures and framing them around the house. I'm really enjoying sprucing the place up and making it homey. I'm trying to take things slowly so I don't get out of control in terms of our budget, but it's so hard. It's been so long since I've had a place that I could really consider home and not just a temporary residence.

What do you guys think?

Squiggly Summer

If you were to draw my summer, it would look like a bunch of squiggly lines. I spent the two months at home running around the country, living out of my suitcase, and watching entirely too much "Criminal Minds." Here's a brief re-cap of everything I did this summer before I got to New York.

June: I spent the first few weeks back in the U.S. commuting between Ontario and Santa Monica, shopping, sleeping in, and eating a lot of ice cream. Really, it was a lot. Andrew came out for his family's final 4th of July BBQ and so I got to spend a few days with him. I got to catch up with lots of friends, including Salwa, Jamie, Valerie, my cousin Amber, Grace and Aaron, Bryant and Shalimar, Maurice, Matt, and a whole bunch of others.

4th of July BBQ, with Grace & Aaron

Deema!

Natural History Museum Potluck

July: Since Andrew's parents were moving (his dad is now a federal bankruptcy judge!), that meant that I had to gather up all of our things, pack them up, and cart them over to my grandmother's house for shipping. I spent most of July packing things with my grandmother, who really deserves a medal for her superior packing skills. The woman is amazing! We managed to get everything organized and really well-protected (or so we thought). I divided our things into books to be sent via Media Mail through the post office, and other stuff which was sent through Greyhound shipping. Neither method turned out to be great, despite the cheap price, as we found out toward the end of the summer.

All packed and ready to ship

I also spent a lot of July preparing for Nicole's bachelorette party. I worked with Nicole's maid of honor and bridesmaid to arrange for a limo to pick the bachelorettes up at a teahouse in Long Beach and drive us around town where Nicole had to perform lots of silly tasks, including asking random men for advice on lingerie. It was a lot of fun and something I was really proud to be a part of.

Yep, those are two Jack Sparrows

August: I drove up to San Jose and stayed with Nicole and Daniel, joining the assembly line of wedding helpers in preparing signs, flowers, and other matrimonial tasks. It was great to have a little bit of time with them before the wedding. Andrew arrived shortly after, spending his first night in California hosting Daniel's bachelor party (both Nicoles were a little pissed about this). Then came the difficult part, the actual wedding. I was asked to be the officiant, a task which made me feel really nervous the whole summer. I had been having trouble thinking of what to write until the night before the wedding, at which time inspiration struck and I managed to write a good introduction. The day of the actual wedding I was too busy to be nervous anymore. I love weddings where family and friends are responsible for most, if not all, of the details, but it's a lot of work! Thankfully, the wedding and reception went off without (many) hitches, and everyone had a great time.

Three BookWorlds Nicoles

After the festivities were over, Andrew and I spent the next few days visiting friends in the Bay Area. We had a big picnic where we got to see most of our friends, and then followed up with individual meetings with Sue, Sarah, and Andrew's brother James. It was wonderful to see everyone. We left Berkeley and stopped for the night in Hanford to visit Andrew's aunt et al., before driving all the way back down to L.A. We picked up our cat and drove to Ontario, only to leave the next afternoon for Missouri (with the cat).

Picnic

Dinner with Sarah

Andrew and the pig, Hanford

Our cat did amazingly well on the flights to Missouri. He was pretty quiet, didn't pee everywhere, and solicited lots of comments about his size (someone asked if he was a wildcat). Our time in Missouri was a bit of a whirlwind. We left immediately for a four-day camping trip to the Huzzah River. We took my niece and nephew, my brother and his girlfriend, and the RV, and camped on the riverside for a few days. It was fun just cooking and hanging out in the river. One day we did a 12-mile canoe trip which was great, but really tiring. After that, Andrew flew to New York with the cat, and I stayed behind for another week to visit with my mom, and my grandmother, who flew out the same day Andrew left.

Kitty Flies North

Canoe trip

Riding Rosie

The last week in Missouri was spent visiting family members and hanging out with my mom at work. It was great having lunch with her everyday and cooking with Dana every night. We also got some time to do family pictures.

Me & Hailey

Impressions of China

Disclaimer: I really hope not to sound prejudiced. I'm simply trying to give my honest impressions of China, and I admit that my judgment cannot be applied to every single Chinese person; only to those I met.

The Good: Chinese students are very disciplined and well-behaved in class. They are the best students I've ever taught. They and their families are extremely generous, and did everything they could to help us adjust to our time in China. Helen and John, our bosses, were the epitome of this kindness. They were more like parents instead of employers. Our apartment was great, and the job itself was wonderful. Another big benefit was that we were able to get out of debt (not including our college loans) and even save some money to bring home. I highly recommend Asia for any of our friends who need a job and need to be able to save some money. They really know how to treat foreigners over there.

The food was also amazing, with the exception of the weird foods like pig and chicken feet. But even strange foods like those have an interesting history behind them (in times of food scarcity, peasants were encouraged by the government to eat every available part of the animal).

Another great thing about living in China was all the interesting historical places to visit. I had wanted to see the Terracotta Warriors since I was little, so seeing that and other famous sites was a dream come true.

The Bad: Pollution. The pollution wasn't as obvious as I thought it would be, but I still noticed and suffered from it. It was painful to wear contact lenses there because my eyes would dry out so quickly.

Dogs are small and ugly in China. In many big cities, it's illegal to have large dogs, so people compensate by having those small, yippy, ugly dogs. I really don't like dogs like that. Mop Dog was the only exception.

Smoking is something that just about every man does in China. They have little concern for others, and drop their ashes everywhere, including restaurants, trains, and supermarkets. I'm VERY anti-smoking, so this was a big deal for me.

The Ugly: I hate to say it, but hygiene isn't big in China. I polled most of my students, who are all pretty wealthy, and found that they only bathe a few times a week. I didn't really need to ask, because it was pretty clear anytime I got too close to my students. It was understandable for those boarding students, whose school only allowed them to take a (cold) shower twice a week, but that doesn't explain for the rest of the population. Also, deodorant doesn't exist in China, and my students usually wore the same outfit for several days in a row. All these things combined for some pretty bad body odor, which made close contact on public transportation, standing in lines, and just teaching in general pretty uncomfortable for me. But that wasn't as bad as their oral hygiene. Bad breath was really common, and I don't know if that was because of their diet or just bad brushing habits. I had a little talk with all of my female students before I left about hygiene expectations in the West. Many of them are planning on studying in the U.S. or Canada, and I had to explain that they could run into problems if they didn't take certain precautions. One of the hardest things to explain to them was about shaving. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a woman not shaving her armpits or her legs, but I had to tell them that westerners might look down on them or call them names if they didn't shave. It's incredibly unfair, but I thought it would be better to let them know then to have them get ridiculed at school (some are hoping to go to high school here).

There are no diapers in China. Well, there are, but nobody uses them. It's nice in a way, because of course it cuts down on what are really big contributors to waste, but it creates waste of a different sort. Instead of diapers, babies and toddlers wear split pants that allow the kid to crouch down and do his business wherever he is. Of course, this is pretty gross to see kids doing this on the street, public transportation, and right outside restaurants. I once saw a kid pooping in the seafood section of the supermarket. Eww.

I think I could have handled everything else in China with a shrug of the shoulders and cultural reasoning, but the traffic nearly drove me over the edge. There seems to be a very clear hierarchy in China, with drivers at the top, followed by motos, bikes, and then us puny pedestrians. As such, drivers seem to feel they are entitled to do whatever they like. Traffic lights mean nothing to them, and I've never seen a posted speed limit. Sidewalks? They're just convenient traffic lanes for those in a hurry, especially if you want to be going against traffic, or a nice parking spot. Nothing belongs to the pedestrians. There are crosswalks, but they make no sense. The light turns green when the cars are turning left across the crosswalk, so there's never a completely safe time to cross. And again, drivers seem offended if you try to cross the street. They honk and speed up when they see pedestrians, whether or not they are in the right (which they rarely are). I don't think I can ever fully explain what it was like there. Everyday took extreme willpower to make myself leave the apartment and go to work. I took to listening to my IPOD and reading my Kindle as I walked, because otherwise I'd get super-pissed at what was happening around me. Andrew was terrified to do that, but I was terrified of what I'd do if I didn't. I can't tell you how many times I've yelled at drivers, flipped them off, or thrown mini-tantrums at passing cars.

The Conclusion: China is an amazing place! I loved working there, and mostly enjoyed living there. But in terms of all the places I've been, I still think I preferred France, despite our financial woes while there. China was a nice conclusion to our four years living and working abroad, and if I could do it over again, I would.

Many Partings

I've been in California for a week now, but I never posted about my final days in China.

Because our replacements were coming a bit early, I left my cool downtown apartment and moved across town to the college where my friends teach. One of the teachers, Tom, just happened to have two apartments in town, and generously offered me his place to stay for my last week in Qinhuangdao. It was pretty great being so close to everyone there, especially my friend Morgan, who is the mover and shaker of all ex-pat events in town.

My last week was a crazy parade of farewell dinners, assisting the new teachers, and doing anything I hadn't done yet. This included going to Beidaihe, the somewhat ritzy beach area, and going to the local zoo.

The beach was nice, though it wasn't warm enough to go swimming, but the real treat was the zoo. We rented a car and driver for the afternoon and got to drive directly into the animal enclosures! It was totally Jurassic Park. We could roll down our windows and wave at the lions and tigers just outside our car. There was a scary moment when our driver's window wouldn't roll UP, but otherwise we made it through unscathed. We even got to get out of the car at one point and keep the bears at bay by throwing them pieces of bread.

In addition, my students took me out for a farewell dinner and gave me some sweet, but strange gifts, including a hot pepper-shaped pillow and two porcelain fertility dolls.

I had a great time showing the new teachers, Cally and Colin, around Qinhuangdao. They're going to do great there.

I finally got my fortune told by a street psychic palm reader. Apparently I'm going to have a big fortune after I'm 30, and my first child will be a girl. Here's hoping!

One of the best things about my last week in QHD was the farewell dinner I went to with the other teachers. We went to this Vietnamese restaurant, and because it was their last night in business, and because we were foreigners, we were given everything for free, including bottles of wine and beer. It was a nice end to my time in China. Later, I hope to work with Andrew to write a final impressions post.

A Long Awaited Exercise Post

I've been putting this off for far too long. After almost a year in China, I feel I've gotten a good chance to experience and witness what is known as "morning exercise" here in China. The thing is, the Chinese will do just about anything if you tell them it's good for them. I've been compiling a list of the most common exercises here. Chinglish-y names are my own creation. So put on your yoga pants and get ready for a great workout!

Laughness Scare Away Bad Feelings: To be fair, I haven't actually witnessed this one, but I've heard rumors of its following, both from other foreigners and my Chinese students. Apparently, Chinese fitness nuts gather in the park in the early morning to share in a long, good laugh. This is good for the chi. Or something like that.

Swinging the Leg Like Gentle Rocking Boat: This exercise can be performed almost anywhere. Simply find a loose chain, such as one that forms a small gate to keep people off the grass, place your foot on the chain, and gently swing your leg back and forth. Do this 763 times. Repeat with the other foot.

Hardness on Tree Back: This is a popular exercise with the elderly. For good posture, stand rigid in front of a tall, smooth tree. Without bending your legs, lean back and hit your back against the tree trunk. Hard. Repeat until all feeling has been lost.

To Walk Backwards for Longevity Lifetime: I first witnessed this one down south, in Guilin. It's pretty straightforward: just walk backwards. It doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't matter if you are also pulling a baby carriage around a big lake. Don't worry about running into people; that's part of its efficiency.

Clapping the Hands in Loudly Methods: This is a partner exercise to Laughness Scare Away Bad Feelings. The noise from this exercise woke us up every morning that we stayed in Guilin. Rhythm is not important here.

Me Tarzan, You Jane: OK, not the most Chinese title, but an apt description of this exercise. Only men perform this one, so ladies, you'll have to sit this one out. Men: remove your shirts and walk down the street, beating your chest and back with alternate fists. Scowl at people you pass. Does wonders for your virility, and the red fist marks all over your body are sure to attract a date.

Me No Need to Thighmaster: Here's one for the ladies. Place your foot on a stool or use the chain from exercise Rocking Boat. With your thigh at a 90 degree angle, gently slap your thigh fat back and forth for about two hours. Switch legs. Guaranteed to get rid of dumpling fat.

Heavenly Pearl Tooths Are Happy: I only recommend this for those with dentures. In a public place, chomp your teeth repeatedly. Be sure to make a lot of noise or it won't work.

Jumping High Into Jade Paradise: This is one of the only legit exercises I've seen. One night I saw about 100 people in People's Park jump-roping together as I went to my favorite ice cream shop around the corner.

Go to any of the public parks in China on a warm night or sunny morning, and you'll see tons of Chinese people group exercising. It's actually quite nice the way they use their public spaces. Elderly people in particular are most likely to be seen exercising. They especially love dance and tai chi.

Hope this helps you all keep fit!