Not dead yet.

Hello one and all!

It's been about a year and half since i updated, my apologies. In this post, let's explore the nightlife in Beijing.

First, a word about something interesting i've encountered recently. Beijing is a vibrant city and attracts all kinds of people. This being said, the thing about Beijing is that if you want to surround yourself completely with english you really can. It is possible to get along in Beijing with very few mandarin skills. As a matter of fact within the last week I've met 2 different people who have lived in beijing for over a year and barely have the language aptitude of a year 1 mandarin student. And they do just fine. They know enough to tell a cab driver where they want to go, order a beer and ask for the check. And thats about it. They have their own apartments and full social lives, all while speaking about 50 words in Mandarin. Suffice to say, the expat scene is quite full and quite sheltering.

What do i think of this? Well, I think it's a waste of an available and valuable opportunity. To me the best part of living in a foriegn country is that you have access to what is, for all intents and purposes, a free education. I think it's a shame that someone would move away from the familiar and into the unknown only to, once arriving, isolate themself from their very surroundings. But, in all fairness, that's only my opinion. Not everyone comes to China with a cultural curiousity and an eye towards integrating (to whatever extent it is that you can integrate as a non-ethnically chinese person in china, that is). I didn't come to China to continously rotate between the same english speaking expat hang outs, but apparently some people did. And if thats what they want, so be it. I'll be down the street at the Chinese punk bar, thanks.

Now, about the nightlife. Beijing is a huge city, and there is something to do at all hours of the night. In this way it reminds me of LA, except that in LA clubs close around 2- in beijing they go until 7 or 8 in the AM. A few are even 24 hours. This is dangerous. It is also fantastic, though mostly dangerous. It lulls you into the idea that being out at 5 in the morning really is ok, cause after all the club you started at at 10pm is still open.

This is especially dangerous because on a tuesday at 5 in the morning you will most likely find yourself wanting to believe anything that tells you being awake and tipsy is acceptable. Whether it really is or not is an entirely different matter. In terms of selection, there are some tastes i have yet to adequatly indulge. I've yet to be to a good jazz club, but Vegan Mos Def says that he knows a couple of good ones. Have I introduced you guys to vegan mos def? Suffice to say, he's a vegan i met who looks like mos def. The gay scene is not what i'd like it to be, but then again i haven't been able to make it out the any of the les bars that i've looked up. This friday i hope to check out one or two and though ive been saying that for a couple weeks i'm pretty set on it going down this weekend. It'll have to be friday, cause saturday is a party at the junction of the Great Wall and the ocean. Yea, i'm even a little jealous of myself, don't worry.

Love you guys, another update later on. My stomach, it rumbles.
Jess