Lisa Goes to Beijing

I've been meaning to post my Beijing photos and notes for over a month now.  I told Innes I was nagging myself to it done and he said, "yeah, because that's exactly what having a blog is all about."  So I figured that meant I was off the hook for a few more weeks.

I had an amazing opportunity to go to Beijing with Qatar Academy's Model United Nations (MUN) team on a moment's notice last month.  The other female chaperone broke her foot and had to back out.  I had helped with a few other MUN projects earlier this school year, so I was asked to go along.  It helps that the MUN director is also our neighbor AND I share the same maiden name as his grandmother, so we are practically cousins.  As with all things Middle East, its all about "wasta" (loosely translated: clout, who you know, basically nepotism).  Odd that we moved half-way around the world and in next door to someone who shares about 2/3 of his paternalistic family tree with me, but that's probably another post altogether. Which means more nagging and more procrastination.  Back to Beijing...

According to a recent article in National Geographic Adventure Travel magazine, in the US it currently takes about three months and fingerprints/background checks to get a Chinese visa. I turned in my passport in to the Chinese Embassy in Doha on Monday, February 27 and had it back in my hands on Thursday, March 1, just in time to get to the airport for a race in Abu Dhabi. Rumor has it that China is actively nurturing its relationship with Qatar in order to secure access to the latter's natural gas supplies.  Lucky me.

I traveled to Beijing on March 6th with 18 students, 2 other staff, and 5 parents from Qatar. Our students were made up of Qatari's, Palestinians, a Saudi girl and her mother, a girl and her Qatari father and Mexican mother, two Egyptians, a Sudanese boy, a German girl, and a family from Iraq. From the moment we sat down on the plane (at the ungodly hour of 2 am) I noticed how close all the boys and girls seemed to be with one another. Close in a brotherly or sisterly way, and very inclusive of the one younger student and the one European student. I am not trying to idealize the relationships, but in speaking to my cousin the MUN director, who has been in the middle east for over 12 years, this sort of friendship is very common between boys and girls. You don't see boys and girls kissing, holding hands, sitting quietly alone, etc. as these behaviors are obviously not permitted. To be honest, the most affection one witnesses in the Middle East is between males, who publicly hold hands, hug, kiss, and even rub noses.  Again, probably another post altogether.  

I personally witnessed that same inclusive behavior over the course of the week.  I never felt like the uncool substitute teacher.  The girls gave me the nickname "Lisa Lazeezah" which translated (barely) into "Lisa the Kind" or "Lisa the Nice".  One of the girls told me it really means "tasty like a tomato" but it was the only word they could come up with that almost rhymed with my name.  So I am now known as "Lisa: tasty like a tomato" around the MUN team.  Ironically, I don't like tomatoes, but I get the idea.

I can't say that I am anxious to go back to Beijing.  Admittedly, we only really hit all the trendy tourist spots: Tienemen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, the Silk Market, etc. It was surreal to see these places after hearing about them all of my life and really having no time to plan for this trip. But the city also seemed very sterile, like something was missing.  Much of the tangible history has been torn down to make way for high rises or like the museum pieces from the Forbidden City, moved elsewhere to protect them during one war or another.  What's left are empty shells packed with tourists.  Don't get me wrong, I'd would definitely go back to China someday, but not Beijing.  And the pollution wasn't even that bad.  Cold weather and high winds kept most of the pollution at bay for the week we were there.  The worst pollution day that week was when we were in conference all day anyway.  We were quite lucky.  I could go on and on but suffice it to say I was happy to come back to the warmth of the Middle East: my family, the weather, and the people.  

First photo I took in Beijing.  Just had to be added.

Iconic Forbidden City sight.

I was tired of solo photos so I asked my "friends" Najla and Rouda to pose with me.

Several Chinese tourists just jumped into our group shot.  Must be something about seeing Arabs in Beijing - doesn't happen every day.

Four Star rated toilet.  It was a porceline pit instead of a dirt pit.  I must admit, pit toilets seem so much more hygienic.  I would choose pubic pit toilet over a "normal" public toilet any day...and in any country.

Mohammed (from Sudan) and Rouda (father is a Qatari diplomat of some sort) enjoying some time in the sun.  

I'm hopeful that Innes will make this his next haircut.  All the rage in 12th century China.

A whole wall of Earth Day messages outside of the Forbidden City.  

I bought postcards from this old man on the Great Wall so he would take my photo.  He took about 15 of me and then tried to get me to buy a Snickers bar, which looked about as old as the wall.

Taking a break after a VERY steep hike up the first part of the Great Wall.  We took a chairlift to get up there.  No exercise required, seriously.

OK, Rouda...again.  She wanted her photo taken ALL the time.  Especially while shopping.  And these Arab kids are GREAT barterers.  They would pay 10% of the prices I would pay and then they would heckle me.  I need lessons.

Part of our team - voted best dressed...again.  The girls asked one day when I came down in jeans and an old sweater (again): "Miss Lisa, you are very 'sporty' aren't you?"  Very nice way of saying I needed a stylist.

Just had to get one pollution photo, overlooking the slum behind our hotel.

OK, mom please skip these next few photos of food vendors.  Yes, that says Sheep Penis.  No I didn't try one.

About the size of my hand - deep fried or boiled?

Yum, beetles.

OK, sad...but really, how does one eat a starfish?

Yes, scorpions.  Big one or a whole stick full of little ones.   

OK, enough about Rouda...but this was the first dog she had EVER touched in her life...and she really wanted to cherish the moment. 

Oops, wrong group shot but I'm to lazy to upload a new one.  You get the idea.

Ming, our tour guide, and Mr. Janzen (MUN Director/my cousin).  Our first day on the bus, Ming used the PA system to tell us the sad story of being left by his last girlfriend.  Then he sang us a sad song about love lost (at least I think that's what it was about) on the tour bus's Karaoke system.   That moment summed up China for me completely.