New Shoes!

I am a big fan of toning shoes. I skeptically got a pair of the sneakers when they first came out, and I took them to China with me last fall where I wore them all the time. I only have good things to say about toning shoes, and I still wear mine whenever I take a walk. So I was super-excited to hear on my trip to Colorado over the summer that Crocs was coming out with a line of toning shoes, and I couldn’t wait to try them out.

My time has come, and I have been wearing my Crocs Tone shoes for a few weeks. The biggest difference between these and my toning tennis shoes is the weight- Crocs Tones are so light! I mostly wear them around my little apartment, and I can feel the benefits walking even those small distances.

The bottoms of the shoes are a bit rounded, but they aren’t clunky and awkward-looking like the tennis shoes. Another important aspect is that the Crocs Tones don’t put you too much off-balance so that you think you’re going to fall over. I’ve felt like that standing around in my toning tennis shoes before!

With my other toning shoes, I feel like I have to be on a serious walk to wear them, and I would never wear them around the house, so what I like most about my Crocs Tone shoes is that I am comfortable wearing them doing anything.

Update?

I moved to Columbus in August, and I’m really excited about this time in my life. Which is a bit ironic, because from the outside, my life seems so boring. After work, I cook, read, write, or sew. I go to bed early. I don’t do anything exciting. But that’s what makes it so exciting. I’m writing a book. I’m studying Chinese again. I’m just learning a lot and keeping it simple.

People are surprised that I don’t have a TV, the internet, or a car. It’s not that I’m trying to prove a point or live a certain lifestyle; these things are just unnecessary to me right now, and I don't miss them. What I am trying to do is to push myself to make the most of my time and my life and to learn as much as I can.

I love my job. I work with cool people, and the projects I work on are filled with opportunities to learn about politics, history, social issues, current events, the arts... anything and everything. My current obsession - laugh with me here, is researching Oliver Hazard Perry, who won the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. If I ever have a son, his middle name is going to be Hazard. Sweet, right?

Speaking of work, major changes are coming in the next few weeks, and not just with the Republican majority coming into the Statehouse – 22 new interns/fellows will start working in December! So, although I totally enjoy my simple, solitary, introverted existence, I will appreciate the new faces and new friendships.

Summer Wrap-Up

I know, there is still more than half of August to go and you don't need anyone else to remind you that the summer is almost over. But my summer feels completely finished since I started working the first week of August. And I'm totally okay with that feeling. Summer is overrated. And autumn is awesome.

But anyway, that's right, I got a job. And I consider myself completely blessed for being employed. I can count on one hand the friends I graduated with who have jobs, and most of those are not "career jobs." (Two side notes: 1. No, I don't have a lot of friends, and 2. I'm not putting down their jobs... just saying how lucky I am.)

And, actually, my job is only a "job" until December when it turns into a "fellowship." I also start getting benefits and a raise at that point, so you can determine for yourself which sounds better.

Right. So I work for The Ohio Channel, also called Ohio Government Telecommunications. (NOT to be confused with ONN!) I work right in the Ohio Statehouse doing video production work, and I really love my job. The deal with the fellowship thing is that last spring I applied to be a Legislative Service Commission fellow, one of 24 that the LSC hires each December. I got the position as a telecommunications fellow, and OGT ended up needing me to work full time before the fellowship starts in December. So naturally I agreed.

I feel like everything about this is confusing, especially all those acronyms.

Crocs Video Interviews

Crocs has posted video interviews from Boulder on their blog. The first video is a summary of the trip, and my personal interview is the third one from the top.

I think I sound pretty silly in my interview. I thought I was used to hearing and seeing myself from all that radio and tv work in college... I guess I'm out of practice (or overly critical?).

Crocs Camaraderie

While the ten of us are obviously up against each other in a contest to be in the top five, there was really no sense of fierce competition among us. It amazes me how kind, generous, and welcoming each of the ten finalists are. In such a short period of time, we really got to know each other, and we all feel like friends. I know there will be no hard feelings about whoever gets to be the Ambassadors. The trip to Boulder, free Crocs, exposure to top-secret new styles, gourmet dinners out, the fancy hotel, etc. is certainly a “win” in all of our minds. Here are some of my favorite photos of the finalists.
Nina checking out the Jibbitz (charms that can attach to some styles of Crocs), Amy and Kelsey in the Crocs store, Chris and Sherri at breakfast

Lorraine the "Crocs runner" and Liz on her matchy-matchy iPhone

I already posted a picture of Kat and Jon at the tea house, and I make the tenth Ambassador. What a great group!

The Ambassadorship

So, after all, what is this whole Crocs Ambassador Contest all about? I had no clue either until Thursday morning when we had the main meeting of the trip. We learned all about the new styles of Crocs and the re-vamping of the Crocs website. And the website is where the Ambassadors come into play.

To back up a bit, Crocs had about 200 photo entries in their online contest. I was selected to be in the top 15, and the public voted for us on Facebook and the Crocs website. From there, I made it into the top ten, and all of us were flown out to Boulder for this event. The next step is for Crocs to choose five of us to be the actual Ambassadors (even though all ten were referred to as “Ambassadors” throughout the trip- for simplicity’s sake!).


So what will the Ambassadors do? They will have a profile on the new "Vitamin C" Crocs page (to be revealed at the end of July when the five winners are announced) and blog about once-per-week each. The entries can and will be about anything, really, not just the shoes. Crocs wants some interesting content to draw people from outside the Crocs community - probably people like you who either do not own Crocs or have just one pair. The Ambassadorship is a community outreach program. While there will most likely be opportunities for the Ambassadors to travel, the main goal is for them to work within their own circle of friends and communities – to go to events, hold focus groups, give out coupons, etc.

Oh, and did I mention that the five Ambassadors win $2,500 each? Crocs clearly wants the Ambassadors to be independent from the company, just your average citizen who happens to like Crocs, so I think the money is as close as they’re going to get to paying for the content!

Boulder Dushanbe Tea House

On Friday morning, the last day in Boulder for us Crocs Ambassadors, we had breakfast at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House. Don’t worry if you didn't know that Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan. (See what I did there?) It's Boulder's "sister city" and, apparently, the materials used to construct the building were shipped from Tajikistan specially to make the tea house. Entering the building really was like stepping right into Central Asian culture. Personally, it brought back memories from China - from the similarities in most Asian art and architecture, but also from my encounters with Tajik exchange students.

Kat, Jon with chai tea, Shelly from Crocs, Nina, and Lorraine at breakfast

I have never been crazy about chai tea, but I knew it would prepared just right here, and I was not disappointed!

Mountains

I love mountains. One of my favorite parts about traveling in China, in fact, was climbing mountains and noticing the drastic changes in mountain landscapes across the country.

I was really disappointed to not have been able to see the mountains on the drive into Boulder, Colorado on Wednesday - the rain clouds were too low and the sky was dark. The weather cleared up, however, and by Friday the sky was bright blue and scattered with clouds. I wish I had been able to do some hiking during my stay!

Boulder, Paper, Scissors

In downtown Boulder, there are a lot of, um, rocks. Rather, boulders. I found all of these (and more) at the Pearl Street Mall. Very decorative.

The Pearl Street Mall

Pearl Street is an outdoor, pedestrian shopping center in downtown Boulder - where the Crocs store is located. It's lined with tons of trendy shops and restaurants, and it was especially active on Friday afternoon with the beautiful weather (finally!). Here are some shots of Pearl Street.

Crocs Store - Boulder

So I already gave you a peek at the Crocs store in Boulder, Colorado. But what you should know about this place is that it really is huge. It has three floors- one each for men’s, women’s, and children’s shoes. The amount of styles and colors is quite overwhelming!

The Art of Tea

Tea is an art, as I learned today at Celestial Seasonings in northeastern Boulder, Colorado. Not only are the tea ingredients imported fresh from around the world – cinnamon from Vietnam, lemongrass from Thailand, and green tea from China – the process of combining them into Celestial Seasonings’ distinct blends is a finely-tuned craft. The herbs and spices are cleaned, cut, sifted, and packaged into the signature string-less and tag-less tea bags.

While the art of this process is impressive in itself, the outer packaging features artwork related to the flavor of tea. Bengal Spice, for example, has a lounging tiger on the box.

The tea house is also lavishly decorated with artwork. One of my favorite pieces is a gown made entirely from Celestial Seasonings’ tea packages. I think my new red Hanalei Crocs would be perfect with this outfit! What do you think?

The Secret Assignment

All of us Crocs Ambassadors were very anxious about the mysterious assignment on our schedules for the afternoon. Our Crocs hosts would not tell us anything about it until it was time.

Well, all of that worrying was for nothing, in my opinion. Our assignment was this: Go to a notable location in Boulder and blog about our experiences. We also had to somehow incorporate in the post which pair of Crocs we would choose for the occasion. What a fun activity!

Sherri from Oklahoma and I took a cab out to the Celestial Seasonings plant, and my next post will be the blog that I submitted for the Crocs assignment. The music from the video may sound familiar... but you work with what you have, right?

Sneak Peaks

This morning the Crocs Ambassadors got sneak peaks at the upcoming lines of footwear for both the fall of 2010 and spring and summer of 2011. For anyone thinking about purchasing some new Crocs, my advice is to WAIT until the new ones come out. While some styles are updates of classic versions of Crocs, most are completely different than anything you would associate with Crocs shoes. Goodbye to the clunky, awkward, and weird. Hello to hip, trendy, modern, and fun. And that's all I can say. Obviously no pictures allowed!

Crocs Cocktail Party

The ten Crocs Ambassador Finalists were given a cocktail reception at the hotel. We met the women who do public relations and social media for Crocs, and the Ambassadors got to meet each other. I'm "the girl with the cow." Great.

After the reception, some of us took a walk around the area and we peeked in the window of the giant Crocs store...

First Few Minutes in Boulder

Let's start with the negative: it wasn't actually a limo that picked me up at the airport, just a really nice car. Can't actually complain. Also, it's pouring down rain and cloudy so I haven't seen the mountains yet.


(Rainy) view from my room

The positive: My room is beautiful, and they gave me a huge tote bag full of stuff, including two pairs of Crocs, some snacks, a water bottle, a notebook, and a $100 visa gift card. Awesome.


The new Crocs: blue Crocband flats and red Hanalei

Footwear of Choice

I am obviously going to be sporting some Crocs in Boulder. I wouldn't dare wear anything else! And I have decided which pair of Crocs I will wear in Colorado: the Capri Canvas. These are casual, yet feminine and stylish; A good all-purpose summer shoe that I think fits my personality and style. See, not all Crocs are clunky monsters.

Crocs Itinerary

I received an email this morning with some information about what I can expect in Boulder as one of ten finalists in the Crocs Ambassador Contest.

First of all, I will be driven from the airport to my hotel in a limousine! Awesome. The default meeting place is the Crocs store where we will do product reviews, be interviewed by the Crocs staff, and have professional photos taken.

One ambiguous activity on the list is the "Ambassador Assignment" that takes up an entire afternoon. Hm... I'm a bit anxious to find out what this is! (Leave a comment on what you guess it might be.)

Welcome to St. Julien

This is where I will be staying in Boulder, Colorado. It's St. Julien and it's a block away from the Crocs store at the Pearl Street Mall.

The trip is only three days- I know, it seems short, but it will definitely be action-packed and exciting. Remembering my trips across the Chinese countryside, I think a lot can happen in just two or three days.

There's "complimentary wireless" in the hotel, which means I will certainly be blogging about it. Check back in!

P.S. It's supposed to be partly cloudy and 80 degrees in Boulder!



Photos from the St. Julien website

Vanilla Cream Cake

I made an amazing vanilla cream cake this week (if I do say so myself!). I got the recipe from the Penzeys Spice catalog, and I can't find just the recipe online, so this link is to download the summer catalog. The recipe is on pages 58 and 59. I never post recipes, right, but this one is just so good!


I made this! And you can, too.

Just some of my own notes on the recipe: The amount of melted butter truly is correct (only 2 tablespoons), but when you pour it into the milk, make sure the milk isn't cold or the butter will clump up. Also, I put (homemade) black raspberry jam in the middle layer. Lastly, the frosting wasn't quite enough for a four-layer cake, so try making a bit more. You can barely tell mine was a four-layer because the frosting is so thin in between.

Crocs Contest

Awesome news. Remember that post earlier this month about how I entered in the Crocs Ambassador Contest and I asked for you to vote for me? Well, the voting period has concluded, and

...drumroll, please...

I am a finalist in the contest and I am going on a free trip to Boulder, Colorado next week. Can you believe it?



And now that the news is out, I owe a huge, huge "thank you" to every single person who voted for me. Everyone reading this, take this personally. I mean it.

Awkward Transition

As you can probably relate, transitioning from a serious topic (death and rape in Kyrgyzstan) to more uplifting or everyday topics is a bit of a challenge in a blog. It's hard to juxtapose posts like that and seem like a sane human being.

So to maybe convince you that I am not coldblooded and hardhearted, this post is like buffer between bad news and good news.

Thank you for your time.

An Uzbek's View on Kyrgyz Violence

I emailed my Uzbek friend Rustam, who is living in Lanzhou, to check up on my Kyrgyz friends in light of the violence in the south of their country. I have many Kyrgyz friends who I met through Lanzhou University, some of whom are still in Lanzhou and some who have gone home. One Kyrgyz couple who I was especially good friends with is in a unique situation: the husband is still in Lanzhou while his wife went back home to her family to give birth to their child. Naturally, I have been worried about these friends and their families. And, thankfully, I heard back that everyone is safe and well.

While my main purpose was to ask about the well-being of my friends, I also asked Rustam about his take on the violence and about why he thinks the attacks are occurring. I told him some reasons I have heard in the international media, including economic problems being blamed on the Uzbeks, the corrupt government egging on the violence, the fear of Uzbekistan encroaching on Kyrgyzstan, and gang violence based on ethnic hatred. Here is part of his email (awkwardly translated from Chinese):

"Caitlin, I think that all the reasons you listed are in fact causes of the conflict [economy, corrupt government, fear of Uzbekistan encroaching on Kyrgyzstan, and gangs] except for the one about Uzbekistan wanting Kyrgyzstan's land. Over there in Kyrgyzstan, I think there is one significant force between the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz that is provoking the violence: From what the Kyrgyz are saying, the Uzbeks are being beaten to death and a ton of women are being raped. The Uzbeks are verifying all of this. There is also another large factor, and that is that the people who are dying are innocent. It's just like a huge, awful game, and in this game the ones who suffer are the pawns, just like in chess."

The image of a game of chess is powerful. The pawns, the little innocent guys, are being slaughtered for the sake of the major players like the knights, rooks, kings, and queens, who perhaps represent the government, and are just out to win their battles at others' expense. We can only hope for a quick checkmate.

China and Korean Conflict

When world news is not focused on vuvuzelas, talk is all about tension between North and South Korea, and speculations about China's likely involvement are usually included. I would like to add my own.

I don't think China has any interest in helping North Korea with anything. Just because both are labeled as Communist countries does not mean that they have much in common. China did not even want to get involved in the Korean War in the '50s, and the country's apathetic feelings have probably become more so. Involvement in the Korean War, for China, was more about working against Western influence than it was about fighting for North Korea or even for supporting Communism elsewhere in the world. The countries are not all buddy-buddy like many people believe. References to long-standing good relations between China and North Korea are really a pet peeve of mine.

And with North Korea not being seen as a major threat, I doubt China would want to pull all the weight and destroy relations with the rest of the world. Just not going to happen. So don't hold your breath. But I do hope the United States responds with swift action if fighting breaks out. We think we can save the world, which is why everyone hates us, so we had better deliver when the opportunity arises.

Tell It Like It Is

In this news story about China sending aircraft to bring its citizens in Kyrgyzstan back to China, a Uighur man tells it like it is: "This is the first time I thank our motherland [China]." Oh, snap.

Also, China has sent 20 tons of aid (food, water, tents) to Kyrgyzstan, but I would like to point out that it came from Xinjiang, the autonomous region in northwest China which is populated mostly by the Uighur minority. Maybe it was funded by the national government and came from Xinjiang because this region is closest to Kyrgyzstan, but who knows.

In other related news, the benevolent United States of America is taking a very small, late, and indecisive step toward helping out in Kyrgyzstan by sending an "envoy" to "assess the situation." Here's the situation: people in Central Asia are dying. If and when US aid happens, that aid had better not go only to the Kyrgyz. The United States must help out the ethnic Uzbeks who are being uprooted from their homes and families and are fleeing into Uzbekistan.

Thoughts on Kyrgyz Violence

The violence in Kyrgyzstan is depressing, discouraging, and worrisome to me. I am constantly checking the news and searching for more pictures and video. It just hurts me so much to think about my Central Asian friends and their families, their languages and cultures and customs and rituals... to think about them in this context of violence.

The countries of Central Asia each have their own distinct culture, history, and language. After gaining independence from the Soviet Union around 1990, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan have had minor clashes. Ethnic problems are at the top of the list since people of each country's ethnic group live in the other countries- like the ethnic Uzbeks living in Kyrgyzstan who are being killed every day. With no explanation. Sure, Uzbekistan is a double-landlocked country with an overflowing population, but it's implausible for them to want to or try to take over Kyrgyzstan. I feel like these countries should be in this together. After suffering under the Soviets, they all became free and in control of their own livelihoods. They should be celebrating.

I clearly remember, right after the international festival at Lanzhou University last fall, my friends told me about when they were young children and their families were poor. Their parents worked tirelessly, and it was for nothing (well, it was for Russia). After they became free, life was so much better and happier. The countries celebrated their uniqueness and nationalism was encouraged.

But maybe it is backfiring now, all that nationalism. It reminds me of my post from December of 2009 about the fight in my dorm building. There is such a fine line there between respect and pride.

And, to conclude this jumbled post, on days like today I take a step back and look at how much my life has changed. I used to get upset and riled up about completely normal things. And now my heart pounds as I read news about Kyrgyzstan, and I have no one to discuss it with. I cry when I hear about Uzbeks' houses being burnt and women and children fleeing to the border, and there is no one there to share the pain I feel. Wouldn't my life be a lot simpler if I had never gone to China and met wonderful people who taught me about all these cultures? It's times like these that for fleeting moments I wish I was "normal" and didn't have these painful burdens from what I have learned and grown to care about. I got into a debate in class once about learning- that it's not always a good thing, that learning can be detrimental. My classmates thought I was off my rocker, and, you know what, I am.

Man sizni sevaman.

VOTE FOR ME!

I'm on my way to winning a trip to Boulder, Colorado, $2,500, and lots of prizes. I just need you to vote for me every day!

I entered a photo contest last month with Crocs shoes - I just submitted a photo of myself wearing the shoes and added a caption and a little blurb about why I want to win the contest. And they picked my entry and 14 others for people to vote on. Out of the 15 semifinalists, 10 of us will get to go to Colorado! So my chances are good.

But it all depends on YOU because I need the votes! You can vote once every 24 hours through facebook and through the Crocs website (or both, shh, don't tell!). If you go to the website link, click on the orange contest banner on the far right and navigate to my entry to vote.

Thank you!

The Smell of Burning Coal

Check out this video about "the dirtiest city in the world." The images in the video from Linfen, China are so familiar to me and remind me most of my two trips to Fugu, China to stay with a friend and her family.

The gray skies, the trash everywhere, the cars... what sticks with me most, though, is the smell of burning coal. As I watched that video sitting in my living room, I had one of those strange experiences where I smelled burning coal as if I were in my friend's home in Fugu by their furnace. And that isn't the first time that has happened to me. When I first returned home from China, sometimes I would wake up in my dorm room and completely forget where I was. And then I would smell burning coal. I wasn't actually smelling it, of course, but I was remembering the entire experience of waking up in a strange world- one of pollution and gray skies and trash and cars- and smelling burning coal.

And yet, the people of Linfen- and Fugu and Lanzhou and the thousands of other polluted cities in China and around the world, still lead happy and normal lives.

History and the Future

I am in the middle of "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi. I read her second memoir "Things I've Been Silent About: Memories" when it first came out in 2008, and her descriptions of typical life in Iran during times of turmoil intrigued me enough to go back and read her first memoir.

Nafisi grew up in Tehran, studied in Switzerland and the United States, and returned to Tehran as a professor of English literature. "Reading Lolita in Tehran" compares certain novels to the revolution and women's rights issues in Iran in the 1970s when Nafisi taught at the University of Tehran. In reference to "The Great Gatsby" Nafisi says this:

"We in ancient countries have our past - we obsess over the past. They, the Americans, have a dream: they feel nostalgia about the promise of the future." (p. 109)

I have to admit that several times during my semesters abroad, I would listen halfheartedly to my Asian and Central Asian friends' recollections of history. On the outside I was smiling and nodding my head, but inside I was impatient and restless, waiting for the monologue to end. I wanted to hear about what life in their countries was like for them today and where their countries were headed for the future. The past? We can and should learn from it, but we shouldn't cling to it. What an American attitude!

"Sometimes I really wish I had a cold"

Here is an (unintentionally) hilarious article written by a Chinese official. He is discussing how people are very kind to him when he has a cold, and they go out of their way to help him. He insists that it is not because of his power, yet says that one man in particular who showed him kindness will be promoted. Yikes.

Side note: Getting a cold in China probably happens more often than in other countries (even among adults) because of close contact with so many people as well as environmental issues.

On Google and China

I read this article on the aftermath of the Google situation in China, and I found the reporting odd. The first half of the article is about a party that Chinese Google employees held, complete with cocktails and the Beijing elite. The second half starts with an interview with the host of the party - who does not work for Google anymore and says that the party had nothing to do with the company.

And, the most important part of the article, in my opinion, was buried at the end:

"You [Americans] don't appreciate the people who are here in China ... life is harder here. Life is different, and people in the States don't see that. They don't appreciate that," Tian [a former Google China employee] said. "They see their so-called principles are getting bent and they don't like that."

Americans' views on tolerance and acceptance are extremely skewed. It is okay to be intolerant of religion (because religious people are intolerant), but it is unacceptable to be intolerant of certain illicit activities (because that's judging others). We should be completely accepting and open of other cultures, but not if, like Tian said, our "principles" are being compromised.

America should leave China alone. We don't know what is best for their country. We don't even know what is best for our country.



By the way, the Chinese word for "tolerance" basically means "to have no choice but to stand something."

Laken Kye Farm: Photography Project

Yellow River Journalism

As part of my senior seminar project about views on journalism in Lanzhou, China, I interviewed journalism professors and students at Lanzhou University while I studied abroad there learning Chinese, and I made this documentary video to share their views with the world (or at least to whomever happens to watch this).

This is Yellow River Journalism: A Quest for Truth in Lanzhou, China.

Enjoy!

'I Want Putin'

I've been working on a research paper about Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for a few weeks now, and it's kind of changing my life. While my paper is about his celebrity status, I've watched some videos of translated interviews with Putin, and I really agree with his ethics in regard to international relations.

And, back to the celebrity status of Putin, I have an extreme desire to join his fan girls and get a "I Want Putin / я хочу Путин" t-shirt (doesn't that just look cooler in Russian?).

Here's a music video for your enjoyment.

And if you're more into the politics, here's a really long but wonderful interview with TIME magazine.

Caffeine

I used to drink coffee every morning, even while in China. When I came home, I made a sudden switch to drinking hot tea.

When I was a coffee-drinker, my tea-drinking fans would try to educate me about the dangers and harms of coffee. These scare-tactics never work, do they? Excess of practically anything can be harmful and deadly. I’m going to die at some point, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be from coffee.

Now that I drink tea, however, the tables have turned.

“Did you know that tea actually has MORE caffeine than coffee?”
“Tea is WORSE for your teeth than coffee is.”
“If you drink too much tea, you could cut 15 years OFF YOUR LIFE.”

Ok, no one claimed that last one, but the looks on their faces did. If there were to be a World War Three, the battle lines might be drawn over preferred beverage. I will continue to drink my antioxidant-filled green tea on a daily basis, and grab a cup of coffee on those extra-slow mornings. Thank you very much.

New Year's Resolutions Round 2: Pact with God

I graduated from a Christian high school and had thought that only practicing Catholics gave something up for Lent. But, apparently everyone in southeastern Ohio observes Lent, or at least everyone at Muskingum University does. (And we’re Presbyterian.)

I have nothing against giving up a vice or denying yourself something you enjoy for the purpose of focusing on and becoming closer to God. It’s just that my borderline-atheist friends are giving things up, too. It’s a fad out here, worse than the iPhone and Ugg boots (which I thought would be out of style by the time I got back from China).

The peer pressure is starting to get to me. My problem is that I don’t know how to respond when my friends and classmates ask me what I’m giving up. On one hand, I’m way too proud to admit to classmates and acquaintances that I have a “vice.” This stuff is personal, right? But realistically, my eating habits and free time display nun-like self control. I practically live on salad and green tea (thank you, dining hall food), I don’t watch or even have a television, and my facebook use is so minimal I’m considering deactivating. (I’ve tried thinking outside the box to see what college life is like on the other side, like giving up reading for class, sober weekends, working on seminar, or getting papers done several days in advance…)

And I don't want to make something up just to have an answer. See, whenever the student next to me in class tells me what they’re giving up, I judge them hardcore. You’re not drinking pop anymore? So you’re the reason I see all those 42oz cups in the trash… No dessert? You could stand to lose a few pounds, there… Television? Spending your weekends watching entire seasons on DVD was getting to your social life, yeah?

Oh, that’s it: I should give up my cynicism for Lent.

Seminar Overview

I'm only taking four classes this semester, all of which I love. (Even statistics class!) And, I'm not involved in nearly as many campus activities and organizations this semester. I feel like I got everything I wanted to out of my six semesters on campus, and I'd really like to focus.

Focus on what? My seminar.

Seminar is the capstone project that seniors complete in order to graduate. My journalism seminar will consist of a video documentary, a photography project, and a 5,000-word journalistic article. My topic is, broadly, journalism in China.

I conducted my research and interviews last semester in Lanzhou, so now my challenge is to sort through the information and complete the projects.

The focus is going to be on the social and cultural aspects of Lanzhou, China that influence journalism in the region. Chinese journalism looks a lot different from western journalism; that is obvious. But delving into specific reasons why and examining seemingly minor cultural differences should paint a different picture than what we normally see from our American perspective.

I'm going to be presenting the project in April, and anyone is welcome to attend. More details to come.

Muskie Internationals

I feel pretty connected to the international students on campus. I feel like I can relate to them well, and that we have a lot to learn from each other.

There are about 15 Chinese students here this semester, and I talk to several on a daily basis.

But also, I'm living in one of the three language houses on campus: the Spanish House. Except for me, everyone in the house is learning Spanish or is an exchange student. I really like the climate and community in the house, and I can brush up on my high-school Spanish at the same time. I'm also learning to dance the merengue and the cuarteto.

I've been impressed with how fast the international students pick up on English swearing and slang. It's kind of surprising. So, I wasn't at all fazed when my Argentine housemate asked, "Caitlin, would you like to go slutting with us?" That would be SLEDDING.

Back at School

I've been back at school for about a month now. I'm adjusting well compared to last time. The first two weeks back, I would get really, really mad about the drinking and partying culture on campus. I would get unreasonably mad and wonder what everyone was even doing here at college. I talked to a friend about it, and we joking wished that everyone who regularly got wasted on the weekends (or weeknights...) would fail at life. In reality, these people often get really great jobs. Why is that? Not fair. Haha...

But now, I have a nearby off-campus escape for the weekends, as well as a group of friends who I can relate to. I've been swimming every week and taking exercise classes. And I have my own room. I think all of these things have helped me get back in the swing of things here.

Pork

I lived alongside dozens of Muslims for four months. My second day back home, my family had pulled pork for dinner.

I don't think I have ever felt so conflicted and guilty in my life.


*Update* My mom just read this and informed me that it was NOT pork, but rather beef. That does not take away the strange and unnatural concern I now have for foods I used to frequently eat.

**Another Update** My mom would also like me to add, for some reason, that it was City BBQ beef brisket.

I Hate English

Ok, it's not that I hate English, I am just having trouble speaking it, which makes me frustrated. It's the little things, like verb tenses (past perfect), irregular verbs (too embarrassing to give an example), and specific words people don't often use (orthopedic).

And then, expressing myself is really hard. I have about 50 things I want to say, and I can't get my thoughts in order to make an intelligent sentence. I'm not necessarily thinking in Chinese. I'm not really thinking in any language. I have ideas in my mind that I haven't put in English yet- I learned not to think in English because I'd have to translate it to Chinese. Instead, I would take my thoughts, ideas, and concepts, and just say them as best as I could in Chinese.

My family can put up with me, but I hope I don't sound like an idiot when I go back to school.

Don't Ask "Why?"

Something I have noticed recently, and especially in Beijing and on my flight home, is that when announcements are made in Chinese, no good information is given. For the most part, Chinese people just do what they're told and don't ask why. It's so different in the U.S.

When my flight out of Beijing was delayed, the English-speaking announcer would say, "We have to remove some cargo from the aircraft because we are too heavy. First the crew will have to come from the other terminal, so the wait could be up to an hour." Another time he said, "We are being delayed because there are about 10 aircraft in front of us. Each one is taking about 2 minutes to take-off, so please be patient and expect another 20 to 25 minute delay." But, the Chinese announcer would just say something like, "In order to meet the airport's standards for take-off, we are being delayed an hour," and, "Thank you for being patient, we will take off in half an hour." Absolutely no explanation was given in Chinese. It's possible that the Chinese announcer didn't understand the English explanation, but I see this lack of explanation other places, too.

A final example that sticks out to me is a sign I saw in a restaurant in Beijing. The English said "Employees Only" but the Chinese said "Do Not Enter." Yes, we foreigners like our explanations and reasons, thank you very much.

Flying Home

In Beijing, my flight boarded on time, but then we sat on the runway for over two hours waiting to take off. I understand that there was a lot of snow on the ground and canceled flights from the day before were being made up, but honestly, the Chinese system of dealing with problems really sucks. Instead of coming up with an efficient plan when problems happen and telling the staff change things a bit, they just let things go and hope they're okay. They're not. I'm not mad about the flight, it's just an observation.

So, when I got to the U.S., I was late for my flight to Columbus. Obviously, a ton of other people were late, too. Also, the day before there had apparently been a 'security breach' at this airport, so all the flights were rescheduled for today and tomorrow. Basically, every single person at the airport was stressed and angry. I tried to be nice to the lady rescheduling my flight. It paid off. Because my flight was delayed due to weather conditions, I wasn't supposed to be given a free hotel room. Because I was being nice, the lady asked where I was coming from, how long my flight had been, how old I was, etc. She took pity on me and gave me a hotel voucher and meal coupons. Awesome.

So now I'm at a hotel. I ate a turkey sandwich, took a hot shower, and am looking forward to taking a nap in one of the two king-sized beds in the room. What a way to return to the states!

Beijing

My friend Yuan and her parents met me at the Beijing airport on Saturday night, and I stayed with them for two days. The night I got there, my flight was delayed because of snow in Beijing, and all through the night it snowed and snowed and snowed. The next morning, Yuan and I took the subway to Tian'anmen. It was so cold I thought I was going to die. Really, I have never been so miserably cold in my life.

We stopped for coffee to warm ourselves up and then went to Beijing University. We went there because it was pretty in the snow, but mostly because I wanted to see the grave of Edgar Snow (his name was quite fitting). He was a journalist from the U.S. who first introduced the world to Communism in China. I would like to note that I was not permitted to do a Google search of his name... seriously, guys... what's up with that?

On Monday Yuan and I went shopping in the morning, and then I took a bus to the airport for my flight home.

Beijing was really beautiful in the snow. But it was wicked cold, which I did not enjoy. I think two days was plenty of time in the capital considering the weather.