The New Beijinger

After two tumultuous weeks in Fiji Islands, I finally got my Visa and flew in to Beijing the following day.

Due to the upcoming Olympics, Beijing has put so many restrictions and revised their policies altogether - to the foreigners dismay.

I arrived in the evening and thought I landed in the world's biggest airport. Unfortunately, I figured out that the airport was the old one because of the discolored structure. My flight wasn't a good one at all - it was a generally bumpy 14 hour ride from Nadi to Seoul and Seoul to Beijing.

I was welcomed by my new colleagues who made sure I felt comfortable in my first night. The accommodation provided wasn't up to everyone's standards and they were apologetic about it. Nevertheless, it provided the basics: a bed, a toilet and, of course, a free internet line.

Beijing turned out to be a place that I will love despite the pollution and the language barrier. I don't see any of those as that serious as what other people would like to put it. I believe that Beijing has its own character and must be respected. Since I was up for a new adventure, I referred to my travel guide that was given to me by a dear friend back in Fiji. It was a big help because I was able to get around Beijing on my second day. I was also very pleased to have chosen a well-recommended restaurant for dinner. If you are new, the trick here is to get the addresses of the places you are going to written in chinese in a piece of paper. Flash it to the driver and he will sort it out for you. Just make sure you know how to say LEFT TURN, RIGHT TURN, STRAIGHT AHEAD and RIGHT HERE PLEASE. The pronunciations are not easy but can be learned of course. Do a little bit of charade and you'll get your message across.

The stark difference between Fiji people and China people is the friendliness. Here in Beijing you will hardly get that warm smile and heartfelt greetings when you meet a local. Everyone doesn't seem to be bothered at all. Although if you are a foreigner and markedly "alien" looking you end up being stared at many times. My Filipino friend told me that at a far-flung school he was teaching at the grade school students would ask him to sign on their notebooks. Strange isn't it?

Settling in is not a big problem for me because I felt very much at ease. I find the culture vibrant and the language very interesting. I tried to learn as many chinese phrases as I can that will eventually make my work here a lot easier in the coming months. What I find difficult are the different pinyin stresses. Just a slight variation in the rise and fall of the tone and you will be completely gibberish. Listen closely and talk to the locals more often than fully rely on books.

I was able to get a decent and good-sized apartment after 5 days. It is overlooking the Chaoyang Park - said to be Asia's biggest park. Still unverified, I won't disclaim it outright because it is indeed very expansive. And Beijing is a very large space. You can put the biggest structures here.

I love my apartment despite the minor issues I had in the beginning. I have cleaned up my kitchen and bathroom and later will organize my bedroom and living room. I realized how hard it will be to maintain it by myself so I need an ayi to help me with the chores. Household help is called ayi in China. I had a Chinese ayi once and we couldn't communicate properly. In fairness to her, she was very kind-hearted and pleasant. However, she wasn't thorough in cleaning up. So, I decided to get a Filipino ayi. We Filipinos know our cleaning jobs well. That will give me peace of mind and more satisfaction.

The other thing that I am dealing with right now is gaining a good mix of friends - gay and straight alike. At the moment, it is a little tricky because I am cautious in getting close to the Chinese gay people. I don't know what they are made up of. Although I have already met three people, I couldn't confidently declare I have found the comfort zone yet. But in saying that, I have had a house guest a few days back. Surprisingly he was Filipino. I hardly meet up with Filipinos wherever I go to. I love our breed but it is the attitude that puts me off. However, this guy is more than what I could bargain for. For some reason, he made me want to be very intimate with him. But yet again, I was unlucky - he was here on a holiday. Despite the brief meetings I treasured whatever transpired. If only he was here to stay, he could have been the ONE.

The coming months and year(s) will be a great challenge. However, I feel very prepared and confident. I will be a Beijinger.