The Eventful Start to my day

Jet lag is taking it's toll on me. I went to bed at 9 pm and then I was suddenly awoken by my roommate puking out our 12th floor window at 2 am. Last night we went to sushi with two Brits...or as I like to call them fellow Imperialists. I just love their posh accents...but my roomie partied too hard after dinner and threw up outside our window.

Our cafeteria here is five stories. 3 of the stories just have regular different Chinese restaurants, but the 4th floor is different Korean and Japanese places and the 5th floor is a really nice restaurant. Soo much food for sooooo little money...ahhh! We all got sushi on the 4th floor.

Last night, I walked around Wudaokou-the area of Beijing that my university is in. We do a lot of walking here. Last night, I just walked around this huge shopping center in Wudaoku and bought a keychain for my room key. It was a nice cool night in Beijing where you could actually breathe, think, and listen to music.

One of the many lessons that I learned in Shanghai is that traffic rules don't really matter. Okay yeah- you should always look both ways before you cross the street - but here you seriously need to look both ways. Just because the crosswalk says green to go doesn't mean cars and trucks and buses won't still drive through the road. It's seriously mad.

Then I woke up this morning at 7 am and walked a block or two to Mickey's Donalds and got an asian style Mickeys Breakfast. The pollution was terrible today. The smog is overwhelming. Taking a breath of air on my way to Mickey's Deees was like giving head to a car pipe. The smell of fuel intoxicates your nostrils. I've usually been a little apathetic to environmental stuff, but it's like this is ridiculous.

I am about to go meet my Chinese Language partner...I am sooo pumped. Hope it's either a
1. Hot Chinese Guy with huge muscles and good English ( highly unlikely....)
2. An Adorable looking Asian girl that always incorporatesbows and cute attire into her wardrobe....who also likes to go out and do girly stuff.
We will see :)
tata for now.

Breakfast in China

 dumplings and fried rice. FOR BREAKFAST!

JIAOZI (DUMPLINGS) YUM!

China adventures

I'm really happy that I came to Beijing. Everything is going really well and it's all sinking in what a great experience this is....so here is story time.
The Beijing High Life

 Our view from our dorm

 our desk!!

 beds!

Our showers that are connected with the rest of the bathroom. It's sexy. Beijing High Life oh yeah!








Pengbro

In Chinese Pengyou(pungyo prononced) means friend. In American! or english haha, bro mean friend....so  naturally Pengbro is the most awesome word I've ever heard... credits to Scott Reel.(Picture down yonder) My roommate is already my other half. Her name is Sydney Gorman. She's a hoot. We literally wake up everyday at the same time.  WE are definately NYSNC.  Picture up there!


There are two groups from the Global Alliance for Education that were in Beijing for the last few days. One Group that was going to Xi'an and another that was staying in Beijing. We all went out together and had a blast. We went to Global Club the first night and Scott and I got seperated from the group because they told us to meet them at Lush...but they went to another club called Propaganda so we just smoked hookah and chilled at Lush. It was really nice and we had some good dialogue.  The cool part about this trip is all of my pengbros are really interesting and quirky people. They are all studying Chinese and bring different fun qualities to the table. Here's some pictures of my fellow Pengbros!

 Roomies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Elias and Me- This cheeky boy from GWU from the Xi'an at Global Club

 Scott and I!

 Scott and I with a bunch of our new Asian Friends....it's was Carrie Bday and we danced our asses off with them. They were funny.


The Forbidden City Incident


Life is full of Adventures and Misadventures. The Forbidden City Incident is one of those misadventures.

 Enjoying Tian'men Square before my misadventure with my roommate Sydney!

So our group was learning about Public Transportation.  All of us thought that we were just learning about the subway and stuff like that, but as it turned out we were heading to Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City. We took three lines to get back to Tianan'men Square and the Forbidden City.Well...it just   so happens that this day I did not have a charged camera or my phone with me.Or of course my emergency contact list. It was basically the perfect day to get lost. I did not get lost though. My group did a head check and they apparently miscounted because they left without me. After an hour of walking around, I was like fuck it..I'm going back to BLCU, our university. So I took a 45 minute subway trip back to my university. By myself. During rush hour in Beijing. Using three different lines. I finally got back to my room and called my program director to let him know that I was alive and well.
Then I watched the season finale of Pretty Little Liars. It was a cock-tease as always.
I got to take a hot shower. It was a hot muggy Beijing day. So humid. The pollution gave my face a heat rash which was unfortunate. My face still hurts... :(


“Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God.” – Kurt Vonnegut


The Next Four Months


“My travels led me to where I am today. Sometimes these steps have felt painful, difficult, but led me to greater happiness and opportunities.”-Diana Ross


        In just a few days, so many things have been crystallized for my past, present, and future. Everything from my past has led me to this wonderful opportunity. I really, truly, sincerely believe this is where I need to be. I am in the right place at the right time in my life. Any grievances that I have ever had with anyone do not matter anymore. Everything had led up to this experience. Sometimes there are beautiful moments in life that occur randomly and change your perspective. These moments are fantastic. In the span of time, these moments could have easily been skipped over by small decisions and scenarios. But they occurred nonetheless. Life is amazing like that.
        I have been presented an amazing opportunity. In the next few weeks, I will interviewing for an internship in Beijing. Our program director Han Bing is trying to place me at a Research Institute for Political Science and International Affairs. This would be groundbreaking to my future. Cross your fingers loves.
In the next few months, I want to soak everything up culturally, socially, and (politically).  I am so excited about our week long field trip to Western China. We are going to Qinghai and Gansu which are both cities in Western China. An interesting fact about China is that the entire population is heavily concentrated on the coast along with the wealth and social benefits. The largest migration in human history has occurred in China from the rural West to the industrialized cities in China. Our field trip in China will allow us to understand minority and western Chinese culture as well as see the reality of these areas for ourselves. I am really pumped about it.
         We have a week long fall break. I want to visit Xi'an and see the culture and city as well as the Global Alliance Xi'an group then head to Xinjiang- the most northwest province in China that has a Uighur (Muslim) minority. I wrote my senior thesis on it and I would really like to go and visit it. I am really excited about the prospect of it all.
I think that's it for now...TA-TA


oh okay one more thing.
I bought a sandwich today that said hamburger. It was literally a ham sandwich. Not an American burger. Can you say letdown?
I can.












 These next four months are going to be so epic, life-changing and open so many doors for me.

The Beginning

-- Flights:

leaving atlanta was rather emotional, my flights were very long and uncomfortable. I met an army boy named Kelly at the airport and we played phase ten. I sat next this guy on my Seattle flight. I thought he was a little strange at first, but hours later found out he was cool. At first I thought he was hitting on me, but then I found out he was just a really outgoing person and he bought me a movie on the plane because I could not sleep. At the Seattle airport, I began talking to a bunch Chinese people and this boy named Jonas was sitting in front of me at the airport. We began talking. Turns out he was teaching english in Qingdao in western china and spoke french and chinese. We basically became instant friends and turns out he was sitting in the row ahead of me....but I ended up switching to sit next to him. He was really cool and we talked about China and stuff for the first few hours. Then I took a niquil and passed out. I slept for most of the flight, but not exactly comfortably. I'm pretty restless like that. They had really clutch movies to watch. Diaries of a wimpy kid, Win Win, and Wall Street: Money never sleeps. In case sarcasm does not translate through email...I preferred studying my Chinese rather than watching the movies.

Taxi:

So my driver was not where he needed to be I used a random strangers phone and called him. He met me in front of the Starbucks. He did not speak any english, but we talked about music and had very basic conversation about the weather and how long i was staying in Beijing.

BCLU Dorm:

I am staying at the Beijing Language and Culture University International house 17. My roommate is Sydney Gorman. We are going to get along...I can already tell. She's really outgoing and open-minded....AND she has Toms and the same hair brush as me. She seems very chill. Today we woke up at 3...and went back to sleep. We finally woke up at 6. Our room is pretty small, but our view is pretty nice . We live on the 12^th floor and there is a little ledge that we can look over.

Today

This morning we had breakfast and talked about safety and food. Our program director told us specifically not to do drugs or start fights. There goes my aspirations of being a ninja opium dealer. AH RATS! Funny but true : our program director told us that girls should not start fights ….Chinese men were not afraid to hit with a closed fist....and that shit gets real when Chinese people fight...No rules of engagement like in America. We did a campus tour and then we ate lunch at a Muslim restaurant. It was delicious. Family style...so you could try a sample of everything. I have high hopes for the adventures to come. Everyone seems quirky and cool in their own way. My program director is super cool. He likes Breaking Bad and went to Morehouse.

Leaving for Beijing

Today was an emotional day. Timmie met my parents and I at the airport and we got lunch. As I was walking to the security area, my  eyes started to water and I started balling. I cried my way to E Concourse which is not a super Kristeny move. It was a lot more emotional and sad than I could have ever imagined. After 5 hours on a plane to Seattle, I've calmed down a lot. I played Phase 10 with my new Army friend Kelley...I kicked his ass hahaha. He was definately a phase 10 noob.

I am currently at the Seattle airport waiting for my flight to Beijing. It's going to be a long and bumpy ride. 12 hours. Half a day on an airplane. I seriously need to practice my chinese....luckily I'll be on a plane heading to China which means there will be lots of Chinese people. I got myself a window seat which means I'll be taking loads of photos of the icecaps  and stuff. I think I am going to take something for sleeping.

travelers eve

It's 2:17 on my last American night. Whoa. It's finally here. It's been a rough day of packing, arguing, shopping, screaming, eating pizza and buffalo chicken tenders, and nervousness. It's barely but surely over and in a few hours I shall embark on my fourth month study abroad trip. It's hard fitting your life into suitcases, but I somehow managed.
I digress
Life and Time are weird. For a few days, I've felt quite apathetic towards everything even my super duper exciting China trip...but as I was showering just a few minutes ago...it hit me. BOOM! Change was a coming and tommorrow was the first day of a completely new and unknown chapter of my life.
Speaking of time, my biological clock is about to get it's shit rocked. The cool thing about Beijing is that is 12 hours ahead of time. China really screws your internal clockwork up....but on the other hand...I'll be living in the future and you all will be living in the past.I'm being literal not metaphorical.
Oh and IA friends let's not get too crazy and read into that too much. America is the past, present, and future. But certainly that is a different dialogue for a different day.

Honestly, I'm a little nervous. I've never flown internationally by myself. I don't plan on getting TAKEN or anything...but I would seriously like to be in Beijing right now instead of the 17 hours of flight I have ahead of me.
I mean Come on Japan...You've got robots that can play the clarinet but we don't have electronic teleportation. It's a shame.

Well my eyes are growing heavy Comrades....Beijing here I come....welll actually Seattle but let's get real....that's  just not as cool.

Shame on Me- I did not recap on my last fling before Beijing.

Well friends....I can promise it was a success. First it was los reyos then Fridays. It was really fun and everyone made me feel sooo special. At the end of the night after some drinking the bar at Fridays gave me a megaphone and I speeched it up. It was epic...but I love all my friends who came out, wished me luck, and shared a drink with me :).

Packing, Harry Potter, and Kill Bill Sunday Funday

It's been a pretty exhilarating day in the life of Kristen Carusos. I have been packing like crazy. How does one fit  her life in two suitcases, a carry on, and a satchel.....I rolled everything into a little ball and then boom popped it in. I finally watched the two kill bill movies and I was not dissapointed. Uma Thurman is a badass. end of story. Two more days until the beginning of a new life in Beijing. I'm getting ready to rumble.

It's all sinking in

I feel a little sad. Although this experience in China is going to be life-changing and amazing, I am beginning to realize how much I am going to miss certain elements of my American life. Sometimes you just begin to get used to someone in your life and it feels good. But I'm leaving for Beijing in six days and it's beginning to seem a lot more bitter-sweet. I am just starting to realize how much I am going to miss a certain someone in my life. I really want to spend as much time with this person as  I can before I leave.

The Totality of Change

Most people who know me would agree that I am a talker. I would have to agree, but occasionally there is a moment or two when silence allows me to reflect on my life and the changes that will occur. These moments really shine lights on certain truths occurring in my life. Through these moments, I have had revelations and epiphanies regarding everything from relationships to my future to the meaning of life itself. These thought proccesses are not always a result of some grand event in my life, but random and generally insignificant events.

Example A

I was cleaning my tables at work at the end of my shift on Saturday night (My last Saturday night at Bahama Breeze!) I began to really marinate on how my life will be changed by the events that will take place in the next week, month, and four monthes. How will these experiences change me and how will these experiences change the way I view the world and the people living in it? I won't know until I experience the change, but after next tuesday...my life will be completely different.
Today- I will be going to a Braves game with a bunch of my friend in Atlanta, GA. They are my friends right now and they are friends with the Kristen Carusos of August 15th, 2011...but things will change in their lives as well as mine. Four monthes is a long time and everything in each other lives may or may not  be completely different. That my friends is the totality of change and totality of time.
I seriously sound like Obama right now....CHANGE CHANGE  CHANGE CHANGE!
But I am a firm believer in Change on a personal level.
I want to always be changing, growing, maturing, and learning throughout my entire life. These experiences throughout the next few monthes will change the whole course of my life. I am so excited and so ready.

For anyone who does not work with me...Bouncy is my nickname. I must give some Eric M credit for the name of Bouncing around Beijing ....but Dear Friends, this nickname is not just referring to me bouncing around Tianan'men Square and the Great Wall with bows and headbands in my hair.
No- this blog is also about the bouncing around of ideas, culture, and personal beliefs as the experiences studying abroad in Beijing shape who I am as a person. That's all for now loves :).

15 days and Counting till I'm Beijing Bound!

I am so ready to go! Ahhh! After two doubles yesterday and Saturday...I'm ready to
A. Be in Beijing
B. Not serve tables for four months
C. live in an international house!