The weather has turned colder and the air is noticeably more smoggy than a month ago. Not only are the coal power plants up and running, but farmers are also burning their straw which gives Beijing that “bonfire” smell, and all the associated respiratory problems. So not only have I bought a new face mask to go outside, my little air purifier has been working pretty steadily for the last couple of weeks. The Air Quality Index (AQI) hit a green 53 last week, which is the first time I’ve ever seen that before (low numbers are good, high numbers are bad), but as I write the AQI is just under 300. Worse still, due to the colder weather the power plants will be burning more coal which just means more dust in the air and a higher AQI.
And that is the big news as of late, that this winter will be the coldest one and with that, there will be snow. The fluffy white stuff was supposed to hit town on Monday but now it seems that the cold front will come in on Saturday night and then turn into flurries later on Sunday. This should give the kids something to look at and hopefully make Beijing a little bit prettier. I hope to get out and take a few photos of the hutongs while the snow remains. Snow in Beijing is rare, but the hutongs are being becoming just as rare with the city’s attitude towards modernization.
Midterms are over and so it’s back to regular classes next week. It’s hard to believe that we’re already in Week 10 of this semester. I’ve looked at my courses’ schedules and there aren’t a whole lot of actual teaching hours left, especially when you include projects, review and exams. All together, it’s only about another three weeks of teaching. This semester in particular has seemed to go a lot faster than others.
The speed at which things are moving along also has me a little scared, mainly because I’ve laid out a tentative plan for the next two “vacations”. But these next breaks are a little bit different from previous breaks. These next two upcoming breaks I see more as “assignments” rather than vacations because there are specific things I want to do during my time off. Not only do I want to travel to another country, but I want to also spend time developing my language skills both before, during and them hopefully after. I’m doing this all while still studying Chinese. Now, the languages I’ve chosen to focus on over the next year aren’t new to me as I’ve met them before in one shape or form before, but I haven’t focused on either of these languages before. The language I’m working on right now isn’t all that different from any that I’ve studied in my childhood, but it is new to me. I’m hoping to be at least a little bit conversational by the time I step onto the train in January.
As for Chinese, I can say that this semester I feel a whole lot less motivated than previous semesters. Former students hear me or read what I write in Chinese (in WeChat) and most are complementary, others simply point out that I speak like a baby. Part of the problem is that I’m studying another language at the same time while also teaching 24-26 hours per week, not including grading and preparation, and then also planning this upcoming trip. Already I can feel the slight bend of pressure upon me and so I’m already thinking that once I’ve completed these next two “assignments” (vacations) I’m going to take one or two actual breaks and not do anything, very similar to what I did the first year I was here. That is to say, I’d have a couple of staycations. In any event, I am able to carry a basic conversation in Chinese; speaking is easiest; vocabulary remains an impediment in listening comprehension; reading takes forever; and writing, well, I hardly even try. Although it would be neat to be fluent in Chinese, the goal still seems a long way off.
Finally got to see the Blue Man Group. I remember when they first started so many years ago and, honestly, I remember looking at how to audition for them a few years back. It was an entertaining show, lots of kids, subtitles in Chinese (whenever they were needed), quite a bit of audience participation and, I’m surprised to say, a backup band that played most of the music.
I thought it would be strictly percussion and a lot more homemade instruments, but there was a lot of showmanship and “story” going on while the backup band (dressed as not-quite-skeletons, but pretty close) carried the music. They did make reference to a couple of famous Chinese songs, Chopsticks Brothers’ “Little Apple” and a couple others that I didn’t know the name to. Tickets were 500 RMB and despite the website indicating that the show was almost sold out there seemed to be a lot of empty seats once things got underway. I’d recommend seeing them if you can.
And in some sad news, there have been a couple of deaths as of late that have hit close to home. The first was a man about my age and who knew the other guys in my first rock band. He had been battling some sort of illness and it finally claimed him. The other was the mother of a family that I went to school with, Pani Tracz. When I saw the update online I couldn’t hold back my tears. She died of a stroke which is heart breaking because she was younger than my parents and, moreover, my Dad has faced a tough year, too. Overall, a very sad piece of news. As we say in Ukrainian, вічна пам’ять. Memory eternal.
To end with a bit of happier news, Metallica has been slated to play Shanghai and Beijing in January. Tickets sold out in about five minutes but one or two of my students managed to snag tickets. I don’t know if I’ll still be in town at that point and I’ve already seen them a few times. Apparently they’ve released a new album, too.
And if you haven’t done so already, go on over to Instagram and take a look at all the other photos I’ve posted there. I don’t post often but when I do, it’s usually a few at a time. If you’re bored, I think my photos will give you a chance to be a bit of an armchair traveller.