Bethany Well

Greetings from Beijing!

I’m writing you from a local Western café where I just indulged my craving with a fluffy vegetable omelet, homefries, salad, toast, and of course, a cup of Illy coffee. Cafes of this kind are easy to come by in the area where I reside and they are always, literally at any hour (this place is open 24 hours), filled with a very international crowd.

Dryers are not commonly used here so people hang dry their clothes. That part doesn’t surprise me much. But, I was shocked and bemused to see someone “drying” their clothes outside when it was about 25°F. Photo was taken at 5:30pm. [My photography skills are not good, but I’ll try to post better pictures in the future!]

Within earshot I can hear Russian, Australian, English (American), English (British), Chinese, and horrible Chinese (foreigners, myself included, trying to learn). A number of people camp out here to study, which is what I imagine this poor guy in the corner must be doing. He keeps rubbing his hair out of frustration and he has this glazed, weary look, a common (and for me, familiar) symptom of hours of staring at tiny or illegible Chinese characters. Others are enjoying lunch with friends, reading, browsing the web on their laptop, or, like the American seated behind me, engaging in prolonged conversations with parents in the States. So far I’ve learned that this young Californian doesn’t believe his parents should buy a condo, needs to find a place to print pictures from his recent travels, and went snowboarding this past weekend with his “Chinese bros”.

Okay…enough eavesdropping.

I am well. Whenever I return to Beijing there’s always a mix of the familiar and new. It’s my fifth time in Beijing, but I’ve already been learning new things. Nothing substantive per se, but I’ve been picking up new words, checking out new restaurants, navigating the new subway lines, and experiencing what it’s like to have to be a ‘resident’ of Beijing – everything from registering w/ the police, learning how to gauge my heat and electric meters, and getting accustomed to the unfinished, foreboding hallways of the budget apartment I live in.

The most unfamiliar and new aspect of Beijing is the bitter, bitter cold. It is my first time in Beijing during the winter and the trenchant cold that Beijingers always describe is living up to its hype. It’s 37°F today and the weather is balmy compared to the frigid cold I experienced the past few days ago. I’ve succumbed to wearing long underwear by day and wool socks when I sleep at night. I could turn up the heat in my apartment but I prefer to keep it colder, the better alternative in my opinion to risking the presence of cockroaches that welcome themselves into warm apartments during the cold winter season. I know I’m making my apartment sound like a complete dump, but it’s not. It’s a modest apartment that’s clean and cozy, aside from the cold. Much of the less pleasing attributes I describe are just typical of apartments in the city]

It’s only been six days since I’ve arrived, but already things are not going exactly as planned. My plans to go to Guangzhou for a paid-teaching program were derailed due to the impossible challenge of securing a train ticket during the Spring Festival holiday. I’ve also found it more difficult than expected to find part-time work that suits me, largely due to my visa status. It seems foolish, however, after all that’s happened this past year, to expect my plans to run smoothly. I am beginning to ease into the flexible attitude necessary when living in China and am being reminded of what it means to live each day by His grace. I’m continuing to look for alternative options and am slowly coming across some promising possibilities.

The handful of individuals I know in Beijing have given me a warm welcome and are introducing me to others. It’s so common for foreigners to come in and out of Beijing that everyone is generally very friendly and eager to make new friends. Of note, I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with some friends from my trip here last fall. Attending service on Sunday was a joy. There is something special about worshiping with such an international body of believers at a church whose service is designed to reflect its diverse congregation and global-minded mission. I always leave encouraged and more keenly aware of His mighty presence all over the world, and of course, here in China.

Tonight I’m excited a join a small group that is hosted right in my apartment complex. It meets weekly and we’ll be doing a study on Romans. I am looking forward to learning more about His Word, but am also expecting to learn from the friends in this group and the various life experiences and decisions that have brought them to Beijing. This Friday there will be an alumni reunion event for the English-teaching program I participated in this past fall. I’ve already been in contact with a couple of my students and am looking forward to meeting them again this week. And who would have guessed, but this Sunday I’m going to see Delirious? for the first time in concert live here in Beijing! They are stopping here as part of their Asia Tour 2009.

I almost forgot to mention… “Let It Snow” is playing in the background. Interesting that a nation that doesn’t recognize Christmas as a holiday still plays so much holiday music even after the holidays as we know it have passed.

I’m going to wrap up now. In short, I am doing well. The worst of the expected homesickness that afflicts me whenever I come here has ebbed. I am thankful for friends near and far, for the internet which allows me to stay connected to loved ones back home, and for His daily provisions. One prayer request I have is my safety. Every day I cross 8 lane roads that might as well be highways. Six lanes are for cars and 2 are bike lanes, but one must not underestimate the perils of crossing when there is an army of cyclers in this city of 18 million. I’ve learned to discreetly trail an inch or two behind a more seasoned-looking pedestrian and so far, that’s kept me safe. I say this half in jest, but it is actually pretty terrifying.

I hope all of you are well and keeping warm in what I hear is an almost equally harsh winter in the U.S. Thanks for reading!

Until next time,
Michelle

Note: As a precaution, some of my entries will be deliberately vague. I may omit names, places, and identifiable photos.

Written by: bethanywell on January 13, 2009.