Good times...

I don't know if anyone still reads this blog....if you do, thanks!  You obviously are putting more effort into it than I have been, and I commend you for it.  I apologize for not posting in awhile...I think I'm actually so settled in that being in Beijing is my life now, and why would anyone be interested in the mundane details of my life?  I find less and less strange and surprising, which is a good thing.  Don't get me wrong, there are things that are still culturally hard to deal with or just frustrating in general, but I just suck it up and move on.

I had been told that I was either going to have to embrace China or leave it and perhaps I've started embracing it....there are still days I'd rather punch it in the face than give it a big ol' hug, but everyone feels that way now and again, no matter where you live.  My good friend from New Zealand who is moving back in May (booooooooo!), kept lamenting that they couldn't stay in Beijing longer (they'd been here 2 years).  I couldn't believe she wasn't thrilled to be going back "home".  She  repeatedly told me, "You will get there.", meaning to a place where I enjoyed my life in Beijing.  Wouldn't you know it?  She was right!

Perhaps some of it has to do with the fact that Spring has sprung and the wind has picked up, which takes all the pollution away.  Makes a BIG difference.  The one complaint I have about the spring is that the Beijing government cuts off the heat about March 15th (remember, Communist government), and it is still FREEZING, especially at night.  A friend of mine told me this morning that Spring in Beijing is like camping, which totally made me laugh.  I could break down and get some heaters, but I have so many contraptions already (air filters, humidifiers), that I just can't see plugging in something else in.  Besides, it looks like it is going to warm up by the end of the week.

Sooo, my last thought is about the absolute best thing about living in China.  Travelling in Asia!  We just got back from Indonesia and already are planning trips for Japan and Thailand.  Seeing these places is just amazing and we want to see a lot before moving back to the States.  I'll leave you with my favorite pic of Oleg in Indonesia.  He was on the beach playing tug of war:

Let's Take a breather......

Ha! I wish I could.  By now, most of you have seen the news reports of the terrible pollution we have been experiencing in Beijing.  It's always been bad(in general, the cleanest days here would still be considered cause for alarm in my hometown of Olmsted Falls, Ohio), but we have hit some record highs the past few weeks.  Which means you get stuck in your apartment with a restless 7 year old all weekend listening to the hum of the air purifiers.  Here is a pic I took the afternoon of the day the pollution hit the highest it has ever been.  Keep in mind this wasn't the worst we saw this day.

The silver lining in the polluted haze is that it got so bad it received international news coverage.  The Chinese government is now embarrassed enough that they are formulating pollution reduction plans.  Those Chinese goods that we Americans purchase so cheaply might not be so cheap anymore, but at least an entire nation won't be walking around wheezing.

I think of all the extra appliances that I have to use to live here  such as the air purifiers, water filters and humidifiers that are all running constantly and using electricity, burning more fossil fuels and adding to the pollution problem.  What a vicious cycle.

The pollution is, by far, the hardest thing about living in China for an expat.  And the Chinese people have lived with it for years.  Older Chinese refuse to even acknowledge the pollution, referring to it as "weather" or that "it's just foggy".  Um, no, it's not foggy, it's a particulate reading of 500.  The younger Chinese population acknowledges it and is finally realizing they shouldn't have to live quietly with this any longer.  I just don't understand how a country that strives to be a world economic leader doesn't have potable water or breathable air.

On a lighter note, everyone is gearing up for Chinese New Year in a couple weeks.  Decorations are up and most Chinese are getting ready to head south to resorts in Thailand, The Phillippines and Malaysia. We've decided to stick around Beijing and actually doing some touring in our own city.  I'm looking forward to it.