Here are a few photos from my last week in Beijing. The first two are of my students, ATAP1 then ATAP2. And the third is of some colleagues; TAs, teachers, and staff. Digging through these photos makes me miss everyone very much. The batch of photos below were taken at a bar during my last weekend in Beijing.

I stayed up all night getting ready to retransplant my life back home. That’s really the way it feels… I’m excited, but also nervous. In the past year I have assimilated to the culture, both the bad and good, and its going to be a challenge to readjust. Bishop told me that the most intense culture shock he’s experienced was returning home after living in Beijing. I have to agree, I felt the same when I returned last Winter.

I am a little disappointed that I didn’t get to capture Beijing as well as I had wanted to. The photographs I have to show don’t communicate the intensity and chaos that consumes this city. This place feels like a wound that can’t heal; raw, open, and exposed. But is always pulsing and alive. Energy pours out from this city like no other place I have been to. On some late nights it feels like your walking through a pre-apocalyptic SCIFI wasteland. Probably doesn’t sound so attractive, but there is something romantic about possibly witnessing human history’s last breath.

Lots to say but not enough time, the rest of this reflection will have wait until I see you all in person. I really look forward to it and can’t wait to relax with you all. In two and a half hours I’ll be leaving for the airport. See you all very soon.

As some of you already know, I’ve been having Visa issues and will be coming home early as a result. The Olympics have proven itself a pain in the ass to many of the foreigners that currently work in Beijing. It was a long and convoluted process, and in the end got us nowhere. So I will be seeing you all very soon. July 1st to be exact. I fly into NYC and plan to stay with my sister for a few days before heading back to the valley. Look forward to seeing you all then.

On a side note… As I was walking home from dinner I passed by a restaurant that was engulfed in chaos. A group of men were holding onto another shorter and fatter man and persistently beat the hell out of him. A barrage of fists continuously shot out from the pack, and crashed into his swollen face. They threw glasses and plates at him. One even tried hit him with a chair. I’m not sure what the fight was over, but there was a ton cash scatted over the floor. Somewhere between 50 and 100 $100 RMB notes. That’s somewhere around $1000 USD. The fight, if you want to call it that, carried on for quite some time and traveled all over the restaurant. The poor man was tossed over and under tables, pushed out the door, then thrown back inside again for additional beating. This continued for about 15 minutes before the ill-equipped security guards got involved. Fortunately the battered man escaped without severe injuries. Or at least it seemed that way.

It will be interesting to move back to the pioneer valley after being here for so long. I’ve become accustomed to the chaos that consumes this city. In Beijing, there is never a dull moment.

Last weekend a small group of us from work went to the Shandong province, which is home to our friend and collegue Xiao Yuan. We stayed with her family in the small town she grew up in. It seems that the major produce of the area is wheat. Down every steet was an endless pile of wheat that was being processed by the people living there. It seemed that everyone had their own allotment that they were responsible for. Groups of different families would be working together, racking the wheat and separating the seeds from the straw. To say the least, it was a surreal sight to see.

The most challenging part of the trip was getting there. We took and 14 hour overnight bus that was packed with people and had not enough beds. Two very fat and drunk Chinese men fell asleep ontop of me, as did others ontop of Chris. Normally I am very tolerant of the large crowds here, but on this bus ride I discovered my limit. In the middle of the night, one of the fat dudes sleeping ontop of me starting banging on my leg to get my attention. For whatever reason he found it necessary that I witness his friend rubbing his bare, enormous, and sweaty stomach. That’s when I cracked. For the first time I yelled at a stranger while being here in China. The top photo is of us on the bus, but it doesn’t do it justice. A friend took some photos herself, once I get them from her I’ll see if I can find a photograph that better illustrates the insanity.

Despite the frustrations of getting there, the trip was wonderful. Again, the food was great and the people warm and comforting.

View the entire album here

This weekend was IDD’s one year anniversary. To celebrate, the entire company and ATAP1 graduates went on a weekend excursion to a small mountain village 4 hours outside Beijing. The best trip yet. Our days were filled with horseback riding, boating, drinking Bái Jiǔ, and endlessly indulging in fantastic food. We also saw a traditional dance by a variety of Chinese minority groups.

Here a just a few of the many photos. The entire album can be viewed here.