Sweet and Sour China: The Beijing Blog

Sports, Sports Everywhere!

2008-08-26T02:35:00.000-07:00

The Olympics ended two days ago and I am finally getting some photos up of some more Olympic events.

First, here is a complete list of the events I got to see:

1. Cycling Road Race
2. Cycling Track
3. Boxing
4. Handball
5. Water Polo
6. Athletics
7. Beach Volleyball
8. Indoor Volleyball
9. Judo
10. Modern Pentatholon

Because this is the Olympics, which is all about handing out medals, I'd like to present my own winners.

Coolest Sport Award goes to: Cycling Road Race

It will always have a piece of my heart, as I learned more about that sport than any other.

Most Fun Award goes to: Beach Volleyball

Swimsuits. Sand. Sun. You get it.

Best Venue Award goes to: Athletics

Athletics is held in the Bird's Nest. End of story.

Strangest Sport Award goes to: Judo

An exhibition sport this year, it's basically boxing without rules. In my opinion, it should remain a non-Olympic sport.

Congratulations to all the winners.

Now, on to photos:

INDOOR VOLLEYBALL

My best sports photography shot all Olympics. This is why I am not a sports photographer.

Group hug. Wish I was in the middle.

MODERN PENTATHOLON (I wasn't allowed to take photos so I had to sneak these!)

JUDO

FYI

2008-08-25T02:12:00.000-07:00

FYI: The Summer Olympic Games are over. Finished until 2012. But because I am painfully behind on my blogging (if you want me to write about the things I've done here, then I need time to actually go out and do them!) I will still be doing some blogging about the Olympics.

In the meantime, here is a hilarious picture.

A Chinese man and some kids approached a few of my friends and asked if the kids could be in a picture with them. My friends said that wouldn't be a problem. Then the kids decided to pose like this:

I'm pretty sure they are ninjas.

Handball and Water Polo: America's Favorite Pastimes

2008-08-25T01:58:00.000-07:00

I recently snagged an entry pass to an Olympic venue that contains the buildings for Handball, Water Polo, Fencing and Modern Pentatholon.

So, after work the other day, I headed over to a handball match. After an hour or so, it was on to water polo where, as luck would have it, the USA women's team was playing the Netherlands. This was especially lucky because I've decided that Dutch is my second favorite nationality, right after Italian.

In terms of coolness, here is where I feel the countries' fans stand:

1. Dutch--who basically wear a lot of orange and hand out little wooden shoe pins which are also orange
2. Swedish--who mostly choose not just to wear their nation's colors, but usually to just wear their flag
3. Hungarians--who are usually just very intoxicated at all the events
4. Chinese--who flock in the thousands to any and every event even though you usually get the impression they don't understand the first thing about the sport. like me.
5. United States of Americans and Australians (TIE)-who are generally awesome, and enjoy painting their faces, but need to up the anty like those European hooligans.

Anyhow, I didn't intend to write about that. Here are some pictures of what I'm sure are your two favorite sports.

Column 9

2008-08-23T03:30:00.000-07:00

One World, One Dream, One Big Decision

The Olympics are always filled with drama. Dramatic performances at the opening ceremony. Dramatic photo finishes . Dramatic losers. Dramatic winners.

But there's no point in denying that the Beijing Olympics has seen some extra drama. "To protest or not to protest?" seemed to be the big question surrounding the 2008 Summer Olympics. A few months before the Olympics began, President Bush, in defense of his reasons to attend the Olympic games, said, "I don't view the Olympics as a political event. I view it as a sporting event." Well, sorry Mr. President (and the rest of us idealists), but these Olympics are undeniably political.

For the 60 University of Missouri journalism students who are currently serving as interns at China's "coming out" party, we are getting a lesson in far more than sports journalism. We are learning how to live in the midst of constant controversy.

When I first learned that China was asking for Englishspeaking journalists to attend the Olympics, I was faced with a bit of a moral dilemma. I am fully aware of China's human rights violations, of China's oppressive ruling in Tibet and China's energy alliances with Darfur, without demanding changes in Daruf's human rights policies. So, when faced with the question "To go or not to go?" I had a bit of thinking to do.

For a previous article I wrote for a Missouri-based magazine, I interviewed Richard Baum, a political science professor at UCLA, about the controversy surrounding these Olympics.

"A lot of people didn't want China to get the Olympics," he told me in early May, "so they have been waiting for a way to show up China as an inappropriate host."

The often-unfavorable spotlight shining brightly on China shouldn't necessarily be unexpected. A country vies for the Olympics for a number of cultural , social, economic and political reasons. In my opinion, China's reasons for wanting the Olympics were primarily political. After years of political isolation , China finally wanted to open its doors to outsiders to reveal the changes they've made. Only, the political changes don't seem to be as substantial as people had hoped.

"They are the ones that built the Olympic platform ," Baum told me of China. "They turned on the spotlight and then got surprised when people started dancing in it."

And I have to agree with Baum. If you build your platform based largely on political promises, a political backlash can be expected. For the magazine story, I also interviewed Chloe Zue, a Beijing native who is studying at Mizzou. She told me the anti-China sentiment before the Olympics was disappointing. "China has looked forward to this event for many years," she said. "We want people to feel comfortable in the city."

After these interviews, I was still left with the big moral question: What would attending these Olympics mean? Would it mean I was supporting China's role in Darfur and Tibet? Or would it mean I was merely supporting the Chinese people and athletes from all over the world? In the end, I decided on Option No. 2. Obviously, because I am in Beijing.

During my stay in Beijing, I'm often frustrated with the Chinese government. (For example, with China's free speech laws. The very fact that I am writing this column could get me sent home, or worse, put in jail). But the fact is, I am not here for China's government. I am here for the Olympics. I am here to support the people and the athletes to whom the Olympics mean so much. And I'm so glad I've gotten to see everything firsthand, rather than reading it in the papers. My experience at the Olympics thus far has been nothing short of amazing.

My managers at the road cycling event, told me not to get star struck by the athletes. "They are just people like you and me," they said. Well, news flash! I'm not at all like Michael Phelps. Duh. I'm a girl. (Oh, and I didn't win eight gold medals this year.) I'm also nothing like Yao Ming, because I am short and he is tall. (Oh, and I'm not one of the biggest sports stars on the face of the planet).

These athletes are incredible. Think about it: they can do things better than most other people in the entire world. The only thing I can do better than most people is break and lose things. (I'm not kidding . I break/lose things in a way that would put Phelps' wimpy freestyle to shame. Case in point: in one month alone I've broken my camera twice and have lost my wallet, driver's license, credit card, a couple bobby pins, Ken Curley's business card and a pair of brown sandals.)

And it's not just the athletes that are working hard for the Olympics. The thousands of Chinese volunteers have been volunteering their volunteer butts off to make these Olympics a success. They work 14-hour days for free doing everything from refilling toilet paper, to translating for journalists, to directing tourists to the correct subway. And you know what? I haven't heard one of them complain. (Then again, I don't speak Chinese, so if they were complaining, it would be difficult to know.)

Being here in person has allowed me to truly grasp the spirit of the Olympics and witness the moments that even TV cameras can't capture. I've been inches away from professional athletes as they cry tears of joy at their wins and hold back tears of disappointment at their losses. I've seen German, Angolan and French fans bonding over beers after a big volleyball match. I've seen a South Korean cyclist crash into the ditch during the women's road race and get back on her bike.

There is one moment, however, that will never, ever leave me. While watching the opening ceremonies on television at a local restaurant, I glanced over and saw a Chinese man with his head in his hands. It took me a second to realize what was going on, but then it hit me: He was crying. He was so proud of his country he was crying.

If people want to use the Olympics as a venue for their protests, that is their prerogative. I'm the biggest believer of free speech around. But personally , whenever I feel the spirit of the Olympics has been lost since its debut in 776 BC, whenever I'm fed up with the commercialization, the ticket scammers, the cranky journalists and the politicization, I think of how much these Olympic Games still mean to that one man. And for me, that's enough.

Big News

2008-08-20T04:44:00.000-07:00

I'll just get straight to the point. I saw Michael Phelps yesterday. In fact, I had to leave a conversation wtih ESPN reporter Jay Mariotti (I was wowing him with my vast sports knowledge) to take a picture of Michael Phelps.

He wasn't taking pictures with anyone as he would have been mobbed--not just by people like me, but other athletes, too. At first, I kind of felt bad for Michael. The poor guy just wanted to enjoy his free Budweiser at Club Bud and be left alone.
Then again, I didn't win eight gold medals this week so I lost some of my sympathy for him and started feeling bad for myself.

Also, here is the picture of my friends and I with Evander Holyfield. We sure gave him an earful.

Column 8

2008-08-20T04:23:00.000-07:00

Take Me Out to the Cycling Course

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past several months, you probably know that the Olympic began on 8/8/08 in Beijing, China. If you have been living in a cave for the past several months, well, now you know.

It’s no secret that I’m not exactly a sports nut, unless you consider Scrabble a sport. But during the course of my training for the Olympic News Service (ONS) over the past couple weeks, I think it’s safe to say that I am in fact, a fan of sport. But not just any sport. Competitive Road Cycling.

Before I go in to my Olympic experience, let me just comment about two things I’m sure your reading about in the news. First, let me clear the air about Beijing pollution. Pun intended. Many journalists arrived last Tuesday, three days before the opening ceremony. Every day since Tuesday has been foggy, smoggy and rainy. It’ has been the worst weather I’ve seen all month. Before the Olympics began, the air was, for the most part, clear. Or at least clear looking. Of course, it’s not secret that Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world. But, just in case the newspapers aren’t saying this, unlucky weather is also contributing to the gray skies.

Second, I’m sure you’ve read about the stabbing of the father-in-law of the US Men’s Volleyball Coach on Saturday. The incident is extremely heartbreaking and, as an American in Beijing, understandably concerning. However, murders in China are rare, rare, rare. Up until Saturday, I’d felt perfectly safe in Beijing. So, while it certainly serves as a wake up call, I’d don’t necessarily feel less safe.

Now, on to my original topic: Competitive Cycling. My workplace for the duration of the Olympics is the Media Center of the Cycling Road Race Venue, located at the finish line of the race at Juyongguan area of the Great Wall of China. The Media Center of the venue provides table space, food and Internet access for roughly 100 journalists. (In the past week, I’ve met reporters from USA Today, ESPN, NBC, The New York Times and, yes, even the The Des Moines Register. (Think RAGBRAI, folks.)

Last Saturday was one of the main events: The Men’s Road Race. My day began at 6:40 a.m. when I hopped on the volunteer bus that goes from my university to the finish line at the wall, an hour-long bus ride when taking the Olympic-only lane.
There are eight people, including myself who serve as flash quote reporters. Four managers oversee us: Andy, Amy, Ernst and Kevin. Andy, the European correspondent for Velo News, a competitive cycling magazine, is our Sports Information Specialist. He is our “go to” guy with any questions we may have about the sport. Questions such as “Who is the key domestique for Australian rider Cadel Evans?” or “Is three minutes an average time gap between the first breakaway riders and the peleton?” Amy is a professional baseball player for Australia and works for Infostrada Sports, the company that organizes the Olympic News Service. Ernst, from the Netherlands, also works for the company. Then there’s our Chinese manager Kevin, whose name really isn’t Kevin but we call him that because it’s too tough to pronounce his Chinese name. Kevin, quite frankly, knows less about the sport than I do, and has unofficially been demoted to “language barrier problem solver.”

The race, which covers 248 kilometers (154 miles), began at 11 a.m. and was predicted to last 6 ½ hours. The wining rider crossed the finish line in 6 hr, 23 min and 49 seconds. The course is considered the toughest course in Olympic history, with sharp turns and steep climbs. Add in some unexpected pollution, wind and 94% humidity and you’ve got an interesting race on your hands. And interesting it was.

After some calculated research, here were my predictions: the strongest Italian rider and defending gold medalist from 2004, Paolo Bettini, would take the gold. Spain’s Alejandro Valverde, a good sprinter and climber, would grab second. And Ireland’s Nicholas Roche would get the bronze because he is attractive and looks great in green.

I was wrong. Spain’s Samuel Sanchez won gold, Italy’s Davide Rebellin won silver and Switzerland’s lone rider Fabian Cancellara won bronze. As for my predictions, Bettini placed 18th, Valverde 13th and Roche 64th. (I guess good looks aren’t everything after all.) The humidity quickly took its toll on many of the riders: one third dropped out of the race. “It’s like rubbing hot cream all over your body,” said one rider. Whatever that feels like.

All in all, it was a great day. I got to practice my Italian with Italian journalists and athletes, I was inches away from a gold medalist, the quotes I gathered from Davide Rebellin have shown up in numerous news articles and I started falling in love with a real sport. Tour de France, here I come.

Me and a few of the interns working hard.

It's about time

2008-08-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a long, long while since my last post, which is a big "no no" when it comes to blogging. But let me tell you a few of the things I've been up to in the past few days.

1. I worked two days at boxing, reporting on the feather and fly weights. I was expecting to see lots of blood, sweat and tears at this event and I was pretty much right, sans blood. I had a great time working at this venue, though I have to say, boxers aren't reknowned for their thought-provoking quotes. (Maybe hit in the head a few too many times?) I'll write more about this in an unpcoming column.

2. I got to hang out at the Birds Nest for the Athletics events on Saturday night. Here's proof:

3. I watched Usian Bolt (conveinant name) win the Men's 100 meter dash and break the world record. It was by far one ofthe most intense moments of the Olympics I've experienced. After he crossed the finish line, Bolt just kept on bolting. He ran around the entire track! The stadium was filled with cheers and Jamaican music (to which Bolt did a little jammin.'. He enjoyed his well-deserved moment to the last drop. And rightfully so.

(The world record time for 100 meter dash.)

3. I took a rose pedal bath at a local spa followoed by a 90-minute body scrub and oil massage followed by yet another rose pedal bath. Massages and spa treatments in China are shamefully cheap. The only thing better than a spa day is a cheap spa day. The entire treatment cost 23 dollars.

4. I met swimming Silver medalist Alan Bernard from France and he absolutely insisted upon taking a picture with my friends and I, though we are clearly not thrilled about it. Notice me, on the far left, telling him to get out of our picture.

5. I've been asked to work at the Cycling Track course tonight inside the Velodrome. I will do my best to take pictures with someone else's camera, as my camera is kaput. (I think that is yiddish for "broken".)

6. I went to Club Bud and the Holland House. Don't know what these are? Let me indulge you: During the Olympics many countries set up makeshift home-bases, of sorts. They rent a building and elaborately decorate it in the colors of the country, furnish it with lush furniture and set up numerous bars. The "houses" are sponsored by major alchohol or beer producers from that country and then serve only those beverages. So, USA has Club Bud which serves Budweiser (though I guess next year they are going to have to sponsor Germany, those traitors...), the Holland House serves Heineken, etc. I haven't yet been to the French House but I'm guessing the serve Franzia...

For Club Bud, you need to be on the list to get in, as it is a high profile event that takes place every two nights throughout the Olympics. Here is how the Club Bud Fact Sheet describes itself:

"Club Bud is a Budweiser-sponsored, multi-level nightclub located inside the historic National Agricultural Exhibition Center in the Chaoyang District. The 3,700 square meter, indoor/outdoor venue offers guests a distinct social atmosphere combining Chinese and American culture. Club Bud features several bars, 360° video screens, an electrifying dance floor, a lounge and an outdoor pool as well as live DJs and cubista dancers to set the mood in each party area.

Club Bud will host eight exclusive theme parties built around the five elements of Feng Shui, local culture and Olympic themes. With a capacity of more than 2,000, Club Bud will be the place to be seen or see medal winners, sports legends and music and movie stars walking the red carpet and celebrating the Olympic spirit in style."

Because I'm so famous, I am on the list (actually, because I have a friend who has a friend who has a friend.) Last night I got to check it out. There were numerous medalists and kind of famous people present though no one I really recognized. Except for the guy who had his ear bitten off my Mike Tyson. (What's his name again.) Although, Access Hollywood TV crews were there.

As the Olympics carry on and more and more people finish their events, I expect more high-profile athletes to show up. I'm heading there tommorow, so I will tell Michael Phelps hello from good ol' SD.

6. Tomorrow I start training for the Modern Penthatholon. Not to compete, but to report. I was originally only supposed to work for the Cycling Road Race, however, I didn't come to China to work for three days, so I asked to be reassigned. The tally of sports I've worked for is now four: Cycling Road Race, Boxing, Cycling Track and now the Pentatholon. I'm really looking forward to the Pentatholon because it is kind of a ridiculous sport. The athletes must compete in five events, which combined is supposed to make you the ultimate gentleman: Shooting, Fencing, Running, Riding and Ping Pong. Just kidding. Swimming.

It sounds more like a reality TV series to me, but I am anxious to learn more about it.

Cheers!

Cycling Photos

2008-08-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Here are a few images from this week's races--just to help you put a few faces to the names, as I am sure you are following road cycling as vehemently as I am. Don't get too excited. I didn't take any of these photos. They were taken by a photographer from dailylife.com, a cycling website.

Cycling through the Great Wall. Fortunately, the didn't have to climb over it.

At the finish line. Obviously, as it says FINISH LINE.

Samuel Sanchez who took the Gold in the road race in an emotional finish.

Kristin Armstrong, who took the Gold in the Time Trial. She's one cool lady.

They go fast.

Oh, that's not an Olympic athlete actually. That's just me. Woops. How did this photo end up here?

Cycling News Story

2008-08-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

While my goal is to give you my first hand experience of the Olympic games, I'm also posting news stories from VeloNews Magazine about the event. My venue Sports Information Specialist, Andy, is the European coorespondant for this magazine, and over the past few days, I've met Fred, the Olympic reporter who wrote these articles. Just so you can better understand my job here, I have highlighted the quotes I've collected from the athletes at the event. (As I mentioned before, the quotes my Mizzou friends and I collect at the events go to the AP, where any reporter can use them. Therefore, some of the quotes I collected are in news stories all over the world. The quotes I gathered after the race, and at the press conferences are bolded in the below article.)

2008 Olympic TT - Armstrong focuses on the gold.

Fabian Cancellara’s finish-line salute at the end of Wednesday’s Olympic time trial erased any concerns that the big Swiss rider has lost his edge in the race against the clock. He rolled into the finishing straight with 33 seconds in his pocket over Swede Gustav Larsson, stopped pedaling, lifted his arm in a very un-aero fist and punched the air.

Just one month ago Cancellara lost both time trials at the Tour de France to Germany’s Stefan Schumacher. The two losses left some doubt that Cancellara — the two-time defending time-trial world champ — could earn his first taste of Olympic gold. But on a muggy day in China, which saw Schumacher crumble in the heat, Cancellara earned his redemption.

“This has been the focus for so long,” said Cancellara, who clocked a 1:02:11 over the 47.3km course. “I told myself that going home without the gold is a failure. I've prepared specifically for this race and made a lot of sacrifices. I'm here at the Olympics and you see a Swiss flag, you hear the anthem. What more do you want?”

Larsson, a teammate of Cancellara’s at team CSC-Saxo Bank was a surprise finisher in second with a 1:02:44, calling the ride “the most beautiful race I’ve done in my life.”

American Levi Leipheimer won a tight battle with Alberto Contador of Spain and Cadel Evans of Australia for the bronze.

(Levi Leipheimer)

“I pictured myself on the top step, but it’s fantastic to win a medal,” said Leipheimer. “You hear people say Gold, Silver, Bronze, it’s all good.”

The three grabbed the podium spots after Canadian Svein Tuft spent the lion’s share of the day in the hot seat. Tuft, who hails from Langley, British Columbia, powered through consistent time splits to finish in 1:04:39, which would hold on for seventh place.

Tuft’s time held on until Samuel Sanchez, winner of Saturday’s road race, set a new standard. But Sanchez was quickly unseated by Larsson, whose phenomenal ride appeared all but unbeatable.

Cancellara trailed Larsson’s time by six seconds at the top of the final descent, but pulled clear on the ensuing downhill. He said he knew Larsson would be a threat, as the big Swede told his CSC teammates at a pre-season training camp that the Olympic time-trial gold was his target for the season.

“THIS WAS A PERFECT PARCOURSE FOR ME,” Larsson said. “I tried, but [Cancellara] was too strong.”

The win not only confirmed Cancellara’s place as the best time trial rider of this generation, it solved the question of which type of rider could win on the demanding circuit: a power rider who can climb.

Elite men spun two laps of the Badaling Pass circuit — the same one they faced seven times in Saturday’s road race. The circuit opens with the steady 12km ascent up the 1000-foot high Badaling Pass, then finishes with a gradual descent on a wide-open highway.

The course had both climbers and power riders scratching their heads to figure out who had the advantage.

After grimacing across the finish line having vomited in his mouth from the effort, American Dave Zabriskie said he thought the course was not ideal for time trial specialists.

“Maybe for a lighter type rider who could really kick it up the hill,” Zabriskie said.

But minutes later, a dejected Contador crossed the line having lost ample time on the course’s power descent. The fastest rider out of the gate, Contador had only the 15th fastest split on the final descent.

“It’s a circuit for riders who are heavier,” he said.

Indeed the circuit required a specific blend of climbing and power, and it also threw riders a curve ball when selecting their gearing. Cancellara won riding a 55x11 as his biggest gear, a fact that had Leipheimer dumbfounded.

“I thought about it for three days and chose the 55, and I could have gone with a 56 on that last descent,” he said. “I have no idea how [Cancellara] rode that fast with a 55. That’s impressive.”

Larsson said he ordered a special 58-tooth big chain ring, but it never showed up in the mail. He also tried unsuccessfully to find a 56, and instead opted for a 55.

“I felt I could have pedaled harder on the downhill,” he said. “But then I guess I would have not been able to ride uphill in the big ring. It’s give and take.”

Cancellara acknowledged the challenge of the course, calling it “not really a parcours for a time trial.” But the big Swiss rider said he did not let it throw him off of his game. Winning, he said, was the only option.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself for this race,” Cancellara said. “TO GO AWAY FROM HERE WITH ANYTHING BUT A GOLD MEDAL IS LIKE A LOSS TO ME."

Cancellara took his win after Kristin Armstrong earned the United States its first-ever women’s gold medal in the road time trial. The road time trial debuted in Atlanta in 1996, and since then the United States has won two silver medals, with Mari Holden in 2000 and Dede Barry in 2004.

Armstrong’s victory is the first by an American woman in the sport of cycling — road, track or mountain bike — since Connie Carpenter-Phinney’s victory at the inaugural women’s road race in Los Angeles in 1984. Armstrong came into Beijing as a serious medal contender in the time-trial, having won bronze, gold and silver medals at the ’05, ’06 and ’07 world championships. Still, the Idahoan couldn’t contain her tears as she stepped onto the podium to accept her medal.

“IT'S THE RIDE OF MY LIFE,” she said. “IT'S WHAT I'VE DREAMED ABOUT SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO PINCH MYSELF RIGHT NOW."

Armstrong and the 24 other women’s starters faced a single lap on the circuit, and awoke to find Beijing shrouded in a thick blanket of humidity after three days of relatively clear skies. Temperatures rose quickly as soon as the sun came out, and by the race’s 11:30 a.m. starting time, the thermometer read in the mid 80s. The heat, matched with the thick air, made for sweaty conditions.

Swiss rider Karin Thurig, who is also a world-class competitor in Ironman triathlons, likened the conditions to those found on the big island of Hawaii, site of the Ironman world championships.

“Except in Hawaii I am not seeing stars after [the race],” said Thurig after finishing. “For the spectators and television [the course] is beautiful to watch. I suffered today and couldn’t enjoy it.”

Emma Pooley of Great Britain was just the fifth rider to attack the course, and posted a blistering time of 35:16. The blond, 25-year-old, who helped compatriot Nicole Cooke grab gold in Sunday’s road race, flew up the climb in 20:46, the fastest ascent of the day. The time withstood challenges from the biggest names in the sport, including Thurig, Marianne Vos, Jeannie Longo and defending champ Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel.

Armstrong took to the course sixth from last, and trailed the short brit by four seconds at the summit. But the much bigger American poured on the power on the descent, putting 24 clicks into Pooley by the race’s finish.

Armstrong said an Olympic medal first became an attainable goal in her mind after she finished third at the world time-trial championships in 2005. After winning the prize in 2006, she said, Olympic gold became the objective.

And now that she’s won, Armstrong said it’s time to celebrate.

“I’ve been living in this little bubble here, and I’m looking to going back to Boise to celebrate,” she said. “I can’t think about [cycling] right now. I’m ready to sit back and relax and enjoy the moment.”

Race Notes
● Armstrong’s compatriot Christine Thorburn finished fifth, missing a medal by just four seconds. In 2004 Thorburn finished fourth. The Californian said she had been receiving radio splits for the first half of the race, but her radio died on the descent, and she had no idea she was so close to the podium.

● Leipheimer said that missing this year’s Tour de France after his Astana team was denied entry may have hurt his form for the road race, but it helped him in the time trial.

“I suffered in the road race. I had the freshness but the other guys had strength on the last lap,” Leipheimer said. “I was riding purely on adrenaline. For the time trial I think it was an advantage to not have the tour in my legs.”

● Schumacher had no explanation for his poor finish in 13th place. “After five kilometers I was already struggling to keep a good pace,” he said.

I'm very tired, but not too tired for this.

2008-08-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

There's not going to be much of a post today. I just finished my last day of Road Cycling events. Two Americans medaled in the Individual Time Trial Event (in which they race against the clock, not eachother). Kristin Armstrong won the gold medal (yay Kristin!) in the women's event and Levi Leipheimer won the bronze medal in the men's.

I will tell you more about that event (as well as the Women's Road Race) tommorow. (The Americans have a great sense of humor, so I will be sure to include some of their quotes.)

As for now, the only picture I have the energy to post is this one of a Chinese cheerleader with the word "Cherry" pasted across the back of her shorts. One word: Classy.

(By the way, the screen on my camera is broken, which means if you want more high quality photos like this one, someone should consider buying me a new one.)

A Day at the Beach

2008-08-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, I snagged some free tickets to Beach Volleyball. I watched 5 matches throughout the morning and afternoon. Sorry I didn't get any pictures of the Brazilian team in their bikinis or those Dutch men's 6-packs. My camera's zoom just couldn't do it justice so I didn't even try.

Other Updates:
Tommorrow I will be working at the Men's and Women's Time Trial--my final cycling event. I will be sure to take lots of pictures of the venue.

On the 15th and 16th, I get to work at boxing, which is exciting because it is clearly my favorite sport.

On the evening of the 16th I have tickets to 100-meter dash track finals! I'll be sure to fill you in.

Outside of the venue, holding the Golden Ticket!

Budweiser was only 5 yuan (less than a dollar). Exactly what you need at a beach party. Unfortunately, all they had to eat was Snickers bars.

These actually aren't volleyball players on the court. They are called the "Beach Girls" a Chinese dance team.

Column 7

2008-08-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

What the Guidebook Doesn’t Say: China tips to live by

I’ve been in China now for one month and some odd days, an experience that has been nothing short of a roller coaster. Everything here is “Really” something. Really busy. Really hot. Really fun. Really strange. Really pretty. Really noisy. Really salty. Really spicy. Really crowded. You get the idea. No, it’s not a country of excess such as Italy. It is a country of extremes, or at least some extreme differences. (Then again, I’ve always struggled with the word “moderation” so maybe it’s just me?)

If you happen to be planning a trip to China, especially if you happen to be coming to Beijing for the Games, I’ve prepared for you a mini travel manual. Take these words of warning and recommendations. Here are a few things you should know about China:

1.Beijing time is 13 hours later than South Dakota. So, if right now, you are reading this column at 6:12 p.m. and then I am most likely asleep in my rock hard bed at 7:12 a.m. That’s another thing: the beds here are generally very hard, so if you make a melodramatic flop onto what looks like a fluffy bed, you WILL get a concussion. But at least it’s good for your back.

2.Don’t drink the water, unless the purifier is visible. Stick to bottled water. And don't feel too guilty about hurting the environment with throw away plastic bottles. If you fail to heed this advice, you will find flushing the toilet a gazillion times a day and hundreds of empty Pepto Bismol bottles are also bad for the environment. Plus, Beijing is great about recycling. And remember, China’s water isn’t necessarily bad water, we just aren’t used to it. So, really, it’s our fault.

3. As long as we’re on this topic, when it comes to China’s public restrooms, it’s BYOTP. Bring your own toilet paper. It is also BYOHS. Bring your own hand sanitizer. It is also WBLHTUWICASP. Women better learn how to use what I call “squatty potty.” Closed-toed shoes are recommended for beginners.

4. You can travel anywhere by cab in Beijing for less than 10 dollars. It’s awesome. The cab drivers usually do not take you directly to your destination, so bring an adventuresome attitude and you’re hiking boots.

5. There is not as much written English here as you may expect. Many menus and signs are not translated. Though when they are, it can lead to a few comic situations. Some signs inform you about things such as “Forbid the Bowel Movement” or “Careful Hit Head” or “The Tourist Halts.” One nearby Chinese restaurant serves Jew’s ear and rape meat, which I have yet to try. When confronted with a lack of an English translated menu, you have several options:
a. Point at other people’s food that looks tasty.
b. Bring a translation of popular Chinese dishes, or even a translated menu from another restaurant.
c. Order the Kung Pao Chicken, which is pronounced something like “Kuung Pow Tseeekin.”
d. Cluck like a chicken and see what happens.

6. Cell phones are everywhere here. They are relatively cheap (around 70 bucks) and calling cards are easy to use (they cost about 10 big ones.) If you are staying for a couple of weeks, it is recommended, as hotel phones cost you major buckaroos.

7. Go shopping at one of Beijing’s fantastic markets (pearls, silk, great knock-off purses, shoes, jade, digital cameras, Chairman Mao playing cards.) Even if you’re not a shopper, it’s still an experience. Get ready to haggle, haggle, haggle, as you shouldn’t buy anything for more than a 1/3 of the original price. I bought a short brown wig that I absolutely had to have for only $10!! You can really get some great bargains. However, if you plan to buy shoes and your feet are larger than size seven for women and size 10 men for men, you ain’t got a chance. Lucky for me, my feet are about the size of a hobbit’s. My parent’s are thrilled to hear this. (Not that my feet are hobbit-sized, but that I have an unlimited selection of shoes.)

8. Beijingers are, by and large, uninterested in us. They’ve seen Americans before. Big whoop. But there is an inclusive population as well. So inclusive, in fact, that, you will likely have your picture taken. Permission or not. (And often by the aforementioned cell phones.) Heck, I’ve even held a couple babies.

9. There is something in China called “The Inexplicable Factor”. Actually, I just made that term up because, well, there are many things here that are just inexplicable. Things so far lost in translation, that they are not only in a different country or hemisphere, but a different universe. For example, I went to the same dining hall over 15 times and each time I struggled with ordering (though I used my aforementioned tips like clucking like a chicken and pointing at other people’s food.) Then, one day, the fellow standing next to me simply asks for an English menu, and the same counter lady who has served me for weeks, reaches under the counter and hands him one. She had it the whole time. Inexplicable. Maybe she just like my chicken imitation.

10. When asked a question that you don’t understand—whether it’s from a waitress or a person on the street--your best bet is to just smile and nod. “Yes” leads to more adventures than “No”.

11.Embrace it. China is a strange and fun and fascinating country, one I may not ever completely understand. Just remember: When it comes to understanding this place, you’re just as confused as I am.

Beach Volleyball

2008-08-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today my Mizzou comrades and I managed to snag tickets to Beach Volleyball. i'll be sure to let you know how the day goes. The first game begins at 9 a.m. and the last begins at 10 p.m. I doubt I can watch ALL day long but I'll watch quite a few. I'm very excited to see Olympic Volleyball, as hopefully it will redeem me from my D Team Volleyball days in middle school. As for now, here's me with brown hair, which has nothing at all to do with sports:

No, it's not real. This is the brown wig of which I spoke in my last column.

Road Cycling Race 1

2008-08-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

I am now a real live sports fan. I know, I can't believe it either. Not just any sport, however. I am a fan of competitive cycling (Tour de France, Giro di Italia type cycling). This is the sport that I have been reporting on for the past couple of weeks and yesterday was one of our main events: The Men's Road Cycling Race. My day started at 6 a.m. when I had a catch a group bus to the Finish Line of the course: The Great Wall of China. Yes, I go to the Great Wall every day. Man, it's getting old. (Just kidding.) I spent the day watching the 6 1/2 hour race, a 140 some kilmoeter course that began in the center of Beijing and then lapped around a portion of the wall 7 times. At the end of the race it was my job to get Flash Quotes, brief catchy quotes, from the athletes In particular, I was assinged to the Italians because of my knowledge of the language. Lucky for me, an Italian won the Silver medal: Davide Rebellin. A Spainard, Samual Sanchez, won the Gold. And the lone Swiss rider, Fabian Cancellera, won the bronze.

I will go in to this more later on, but I have to go to McDonald's now. Today is the Women's Road Race and I need my breakfast sandwich for energy. As for now, here are some pictures from last Tuesday of the rehearsal for the Road Race.

The entire Colombian team. They are not that famous, or that good, but they were fun to talk to.

Chinese dancers at the start point at the Temple of Heaven.

This Polish man rode his bicycle from Poland to Bejing. He has gone over 10,000 kilometers in the past couple months. He was riding the Olympic course a few days before just for fun.

Staring Line.

Finish Line.

NEWS STORY FROM VELONEWS.COM, a competitive cycling magazine and website.

The hardest Olympics ever?
Posted Aug. 9, 2008
George Hincapie is one cool character, but before starting his fifth Olympic Games on Saturday in Beijing, the veteran American broke into a sweat ahead of what’s being hailed as the hardest Olympic race ever.

Why? Torrid is one word to describe conditions for what was, at 245km, the longest road race in Olympic Games history. Some were quickly calling it the most demanding as well.

“It was the hardest Olympics I’ve ever ridden. It was a race of attrition,” said Hincapie, who made his Olympic debut in 1992. “I can count on the back of my hand how many races I’ve started to sweat before the race started.”

Temperatures nudged only into the mid 80s, but humidity was at a sopping 94 percent and the air was heavy with the urban detritus of Beijing’s 14 million inhabitants.

Hardly ideal conditions for one of cycling’s most important one-day races.

“It feels like you have a hot cream all over your body,” Haedo said. “Once you go full gas, you cannot breathe.”

A grey sludge hung over Beijing. Rumors were flying that someone – whether it was NBC television or Olympic officials, no one seemed to know – wanted to delay the start of the race because visibility was severely reduced.

While TV brass might have been worried about the fogged out panorama money shots along the Great Wall at the finish line, riders were forced to ride through severe conditions in a grueling six-hour race.

“It was like riding at 3,000 meter elevation. You couldn’t breath,” said pre-race favorite Stefan Schumacher, who abandoned. “I have a pounding headache now.”

Scores of big-name riders abandoned, foiled by heat, humidity and dehydration.

Alberto Contador, 2007 winner of the Tour de France, was a shadow of his typically dominant style as he wilted under the extreme conditions and pulled out with three laps to go.

Karsten Kroon fancied himself as an outsider for gold, but he abandoned with four laps to go on the 23.8km finish circuit.

“I am a wreck,” the Dutchman said. “I fooled myself in thinking I could win here. The humidity and the heat were too much for me. My head is about to explode.”

Incredibly, 90 riders did manage to finish.

Among those in the hunt for a medal were Christian Vande Velde and Levi Leipheimer, who both rode wonderfully to finish within shot of the podium in the hotly contested final lap.

When Leipheimer came through the final bend, visibility wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t see what was happening up the road.

“I came around that last corner and I could see the gold medal race just 300 meters up the road,” he said. “It was so close, yet so far.”

That sums up the feeling of just about everyone Saturday except Samuel Sanchez, Davide Rebellin and Fabian Cancellara. For those three, haze, heat and humidity were just fine.

Here's What's Up

2008-08-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of days since my last post, so I thought I'd let you know what I was up to. My Olympic training (okay, my Olympic NEWS Service training) over the past few days has intensified--and gotten way more fun. I am at the route for road cycling which ends at the Great Wall. There, I am interviewing the cyclists during their practice runs. It's very fun and I can't wait to tell you more about it...

A Day at Dak Shanghai

2008-08-05T00:48:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of my trip to Shangai, besides the food, was a trip to the Daktronics office, which has been in place for the past three years. I don't work at Dak, have never worked at Dak, but I have many friends who do, so I thought it would be worth checking out. Plus, I kind of wanted to show off to my friends.

Dan Chase, regional manager and a former Brookings resident, served as our host for the day. He gave us a tour of the building, which is nice but not especially striking, and showed us the plans for the new building, which are especially striking. AWhy does Daktronics Shanghai need a new building, you might ask? Probably because of its rapid growth, growth neccessary to keep up with the quickly changing and increasing Chinese market. While it's not US scale, Dan said, it is definitely seeing a growing market share.

While the office has established signs all over China and Hong Kong, I was happy to learn of their signs in Beijing, signs at the Forbidden City, Wangfujing street (where I had my cupping experience, and CCTV building (the primary news station in China.)

Daktronics Shanghai

A Keyframe designer working on a dragon for one of the signs.

Emily Minor, the manager of Keyframe, gave us a basic lesson about how Keyframe works.

Dan Chase giving us a a little demostration.

A woman repairing part of the LED screen. Chase said the repair capabilities is a strong points of Daktronics in China.

It felt strange to stand in front of a Daktronics screen, with video of an SDSU football game!

The small manufacturing room at the office (Daktronics Shanghai doesn't have a manufacturing plant). This room is used when there's an overflow of orders.

Dinner at Three on the Bund

2008-08-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

We had a great dinner at Three on the Bund, in Shanghai. The buildling contains numerous restaurants, an art gallery and even an Evian Spa. Here are a few pics...

This was taken from the patio on a dark, stormy night.

This was a beautiful dining table in one of the restaurants.

Cooking Class

2008-08-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

Last week in Beijing, my friends and I attempted a cooking class. I couldn't quite keep up with Kung Pao Chicken recipe, but I managed to somewhat keep up with the dumplings.

SHRIMP AND CHICKEN DUMPLINGS

Here is the recipe:

4 boneless medium sized chicken breasts
1 pound of peeled shrimp
1 large red onion
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of flour
1 egg
dash of pepper
dash of soy sauce
1 package of wonton wrappers

-Finely chop the chicken breasts, shrimp and onion
We did it by hand. But I realized that I food proccessor would work just as well. But if you want to be authentic, I suppose you might want to finely chop it by hand.
Put it all in large mixing bowl.

-Add the rest of the ingredients and mix

-Put one spoonful of the mixture in in each wrapper

-Now this is where it gets complicted. I tried to learn how to fold them authentically, but it was pretty difficult. You can look at the pictures and see if you catch on. But honestly, I'm not really sure. Our cooking teacher tried to explain it to me, but it was in Chinese, so...

-I learned quickly, however, my own strategy.
Dab a little bit of water along the edge of the wonton wrapper to help it seal shut. Fold the wonton wrapper in half and seal it any way you can. It works just as well.

-Now you have a few options. You can deep fry them, boil them or pan fry.

-If you deep fry, that is unhealthy and very American, so let's skip that one.

-If you boil them, which is the healthiest, boil them in a pot of lighlty salted, boiling water until they float to the top (5ish minutes). Only boil about 4-5 at a time.

-If you pan fry them, which is tasiest, add a few tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan. Add 3-4 dumplings to the oil at a time and fry until light brown on both sides. Soak up the excess oil with a paper towel.

Mixing Sauce:
Mix 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of white vinegar, 1 teaspoon chili oil, dash of sugar and salt and mix for a delicious dipping sauce.

***BONUS: If you have left over mixture, add it to beated eggs and fry it up as a frittata! Sautee some carrots or zucchini to add on top. This is what we did and it was delicious.

Bon Apetit!!!

I gaurantee your meal will end up looking like this.

Here is a picture of our cooking group.

Oh, Hi Shanghai

2008-08-01T03:35:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be perfectly honest. As of yet I really haven't worked that hard. Actually, I've worked harldy at all when it comes to my internship. While I'm excited for the Cycling Road Race, it turns out it is not neccessarily considered a "high-profile" event, so for the most part (at least up until this point, August 1, when I began my daily training) we are allowed to run around like Peking Ducks with our heads cut off. Or whatever that simile is. (Or is it a metaphor?)

Not that I'm complaining. I've enjoyed my free time here and have taken it personally upon myself to ensure the area bars and restaurants (in particular La Bamba which has cheap beer and burritos) reap the benefits of my devoted patronage.

However, for four of our free days, my fellow Cycling interns--Zach, Leslie, Blair--and myself decided to take a trip to Shanghai.

It all began with a 13-hour train ride. No, actually, it began with whatever illness from which I am now suffering. Something to do with my stomach. Let's just put it this way: I'm addicted to Pepto Bismol. Because of this nagging digestive issue and persistent cramps (I'm feeling candid today) I was a bit nervous about the trip. So, I called Dr. Holm back in Brookings, set myself up with an antibotic and began the BRAT diet: Bananas, Rice, Apples and Toast. It didn't last very long. Shanghai had too many good restaurants.

The train ride went suprisingly well. It was a sleeper train and we, the fearless foursome, had our own car with beds more comfortable than back at the hotel. I slept like rock. When I woke up, we were already in Shanghai. Oh, hi Shanghai.

Enough of the writing part. I know all you want to look at is pictures.

Here are a few facts about Shanghai:
1. It is the nation's most populous city, with 13 million people. Not exactly 13 million, but somewhere around there.
2.It is one of hte economic and industiral centers of China
3. It has numerous all-you-can eat sushi restaurants.

Here is a picture of Leslie, Blair and I at one of said all-you-can eat sushi restaurants. This was the day after I began my BRAT diet, so I clearly lack self control. To my credit, sushi does contain a lot of rice.

This is the skyline of the Bund-an unattractive name for a very attractive place. The Bund, which is the name for the riverside prominade, serves as a symbol for Shanghai.

The Pearl Building on the Bund, the tallest building in Asia.

This giant dragon statue was outside of a Dim Sum restaurant. Dim Sum is basically small dumplings or snack-type foods brought to your table usually in sets of three. It is a type of slow eating.

This is a sleeping cat. And no, I don't think they really eat cats in China. At least not in Shanghai.

Ladies making dumplings--a classic street food here in China.

Column 5

2008-07-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

Everybody's Working for the Weekend

Only 9 days and counting until the Olympics, Bejing is trying to get its ducks in a row.

With the Olympic games only a couple of weeks away, Beijing is, quite understandably, doing its final Olympic workout. Everyone—from gardeners to journalists, from taxi drivers to children, from retirees to students—seems to be working overtime preparing for China’s big coming out party.

With a count down clock ticking away the seconds until the opening ceremony on 8/8/08 at 8 p.m. (eight also happens to be a very lucky number in China, as its pronunciation “ba” rhymes with the word “fa” which means prosperity), the country is putting the icing on its coming-out cake and hanging up the streamers before the guests—thousands of foreign visitors, athletes and journalists—ring the doorbell.

What, exactly, visitors can expect from their visit to China, and how China is dealing with much of the controversy surrounding the games—I will cover at a later time. As for now, China is making let me tell you about a few interesting preparations China is making.

The government is ensuring that residents of Beijing mind their manners, with government-sponsored campaigns to discourage children from urinating in the streets or people spitting on the street. (Or worse, the “farmer’s blow”, when you plug one nostril and blow out the other.) The campaigns encourage standing in lines, rather than chaotic clusters. Of course, these are all Western standards of etiquette, and from what I’ve observed, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet with many Beijingers.
The Westernizing of Chinese culture also includes providing English lessons for cab drivers and children. In my experience so far, the children are far more advanced than the cab drivers (many of the children study English for at least an hour a day at school.)

As for the drivers, while the tourist life in Beijing would be a lot easier if the drivers spoke at least some English, it is a bit spoiled of me to expect it. After all, I could never learn Chinese in a matter of months. All I can say is “Ni Hao” “Saigen” and “Kung Pao Chicken,” which mean, respectively, “Hi” “”Good-bye” and “Kung Pao Chicken”. Oh, by the way, they’ve taken dog meat off Bejing menus so tourists won’t accidentally order Kung Pao Fido.

The city is also taking necessary strides when it comes to infrastructure and pollution. Beijing has spent around $40 billion to remodel subways and create new subways lines, reconstruct roads with an Olympic-only lane and improve the appearance of the sidewalks and roadways. The new subways are very nice, clean and air-conditioned. I would prefer to take a subway over a taxi any day. (Though with my bungled sense of direction, I need to travel with someone on the subway or I would probably find myself at a stop in inner Mongolia. Then again, with my lack of Chinese skills, I suppose the same could happen in a taxi cab.) As for the streets and sidewalks, they are also very clean (except for the occasional “farmer’s blow”). But I can’t help but notice that the streets are often manually swept with a straw broom and grass is often trimmed with a push mower.

While enhanced subways will help air pollution and traffic, the good old government isn’t stopping there. As of last Sunday, many factories were temporarily shut down and a third of the many of the 3.3 cars in Beijing were banned. Drivers with license plates ending in odd numbers were allowed to rule the road. On Monday, only cars with even-ended numbers. The difference in traffic and air quality was almost instantly noticeable.

Oh, and did I mention the Chinese government can control the weather? No, seriously. To ensure their air is clean and the grass is green, the clouds above Beijing are being seeded. I hadn’t heard of seeding before this week. For those of you in the same clueless boat, seeding involves dropping pellets silver iodide on the tops of clouds to make it rain. (Seeding is used in the US as well, in particular, before airspace launches.)

In a previous column, “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”, I wrote of the rainy day, “The rain had cooled the hot Beijing temperature by about 15 degrees and the air was so clean I could see as far as my eyes would let me.” Now I know why. Nearly every three days in Beijing, the clouds are seeded, making it rain. I just hope it doesn’t make Mama Nature angry. Something about controlling the weather just doesn’t feel, well, natural. Come to think of it, like the forced rain is diluting the pollution, some of these forced changes seem to be diluting Chinese culture. Then again, this is my first trip to China so I have little basis for comparison.

But I’ve got to give the Beijingers one thing, if China’s coming out party is a success, it will be primarily because of the people. The students in the subway line who will send you in the right direction. The retired English-speaking engineer who now volunteers at the zoo’s panda exhibit. The businessmen who will help you order at McDonalds. The young mother who will trust you to hold her baby so she can take a picture. The construction workers who, on your way home from dinner at 11 p.m. will stop their work to say “Ni Hao” (and let’s be honest, gawk a little bit.) In their own way, all the Beijingers are sure working hard to make sure it doesn’t rain on this Olympic parade. Unless of course it’s seeded.

A lady cleaning the streets on the campus of Renmin University.

Brief Update #2

2008-07-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

After a 13 hour night train, of which I slept 8 hours thanks to half a sleeping pill, we arrived in Shanghai. And it fits me like a silk kimono. The city is modern, many people speak English and the restaurants are fantastic. There goes my BRAT diet. I am not on the BRATS diet: Bananas, Rice, Apples, Tea and Sushi. Last night, I went to an all you can eat sushi restaurant. And all you can drink beer and sake. Let me repeat: all you can eat and drink. Or to be politically correct all you care to eat and drink. Which ended up quite a bit. The best part was, the meal wasn't buffet style. You pointed at the menu and they brought the dishes to you. Just there was no limit to how much you ordered. Okay, enough about food and excess.

Today, we discovered a pirated DVD store and I was like a kid in a candy shop. All movies were only the equivalent of 3 American dollars! The pirated movies and knock off purses are two of the greatest things about China. I bought Romeo and Juliet (the Leo DiCaprio version), Fargo, 21 (which is highly recommended), Snatch and P.S. I Love You.

Anyhow, as you may have noticed,

I have internet here so I will try to keep you posted. Tomorrow, we are getting a nice massage and wandering through part of Shanghai. The biggest city in China, I doubt we'll get through much. Cooking lessons are tomorrow night, so stay tuned and I will post the recipes the best I can. Menu is as follows:
Kung Pao Chicken (my fave)
Sweet and Sour Pork
Shrimp Dumplings
Fried Rice

Sorry, I keep talking about food.

Brief Update

2008-07-24T01:26:00.000-07:00

Two things: First, I've been sick for the past three days. As I've always been told about China, it's not a matter of if you get sick, but when. Plus, it's not like I've been using any restraint when it comes to my food choices. So, for the next 24 hours I am stuck with clear liquids and broths only. Sucky. Then, for the next few, I'm on the BRAT diet. Bananas, Rice, Apples and Toast. My question is, "Where the heck am I supposed to find rice in CHINA?!!?"

Second, I'm going to Shanhai tonight on a night train. Sick or not, I paid for those darn tickets (or, rather, my parents and I paid for them) and I am going and bringing along excessive amounts of Pepto Bismol (like I said in my last column, with Pepto Bismol it's do or die.) Anyhow, this means I may be behind a little bit on my posting and column (I get back on Tuesday so I'll hop to it ASAP.) While I'm there, I am going to visit the Daktronics office in Shanghai and taking a cooking class so get excited!

As for now, here's a picture a few pictures to keep you entertained.

The National Olympic Stadium, aka the Bird's Nest.

Yes, this is the Bird's Nest again. I thought this shot was clever because it has a tree and the bird's nest. Get it?

This pic was taken at a Buddhist temple.

Column 4

2008-07-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

Not all who wander are lost

When traveling to a foreign country, there are several things one mustn’t forget to pack. A copy of your passport and your credit card (which I scan and email to myself so someone can’t steal a hard copy). MnM’s which are the best homesickness pills on the market. Pepto Bismol and Tum, and, of course, a guidebook.

Guidebooks are great because they you a sense of direction. But, like in life, most good things aren’t necessarily planned or expected. Therefore, when using your guidebook, you should always leave a little room for the surprises.
So on our first official day off, my new friend Blair and I decided we would grab our guidebook, point at a page and see where they day leads us.

My guidebook (a highly recommended one called Streetwise Guide Beijing) led us to Wangfujing, the commercial of Beijing. First stop, according to the book, was the Paleolithic Museum. Not quite feeling in the museum mood, we skipped the first stop and headed to stop number two, the Oriental Plaza, one of Beijing’s biggest malls. This was more like it.
While was too expensive to buy from most of the expensive European-inspired stores—and because I don’t feel a pressing need at the moment to buy diamonds and furs—Blair and I just window-shopped for about an hour or so.

After all this intense window-shopping, we were getting hungry It was time to head to Wangfujing Xiaochi jie, or, if for some reason you aren’t fluent in Chinese, the Small Eats Streets. The name, it turns out, is right on. Everything they served there was very small: sea horse, scorpion, and lizard. Because it was only the middle of the afternoon, I wasn’t sure if I could yet stomach a scorpion (though two nights later I eventually braved one, and it tasted like a Funyion) so Blair and I opted for some fried wontons, which didn’t have eyes and a cute little tail.

Finally, it was time for the highlight of our day: traditional Chinese massage at the Loving Life Massage Center. After we coughed up $12 for an hour-long massage, Blair and I lay down on our respective tables, unaware of what we’d gotten ourselves in to.

The art of Chinese massage follows veins and tendons rather than muscle, meaning, for example, that they target areas like that ticklish part right above your knee. Also, rather than smooth strokes, they use a rather delicate combination of thumping, pounding, patting, poking, kneading, rubbing, slapping.

After about 40 minutes of Chinese massage, things got especially interesting when my masseur fished a wineglass sized glass cup out of a box. I knew exactly what it was.

For those of you who haven’t heard of cupping, let me indulge you. Cupping is a form of ancient Chinese medicine. Heated glass jars are placed on the back, which create a vacuum against the skin to suck out bad energy and heat from the body. Basically, they create gigantic hickies on your back, which swell and eventually bruise, leaving marks for roughly a week. When I saw those glass cups, I figured, “Ah, what the heck. They’ve been doing this for thousands of years. I’d hate to stop them now.” Six cups were placed on my back and left there for 15 minutes. It hurt like crazy, but after a few minutes, the pain turned in to an almost pleasant burn. By the time the cups were removed, I felt surprising cool and Zen.

Bruised, hot and tired, Blair and I still had one last stop: sushi. Why not eat some raw fish just to top off our day. Over a caviar-stuffed sushi roll, Blair laughed and said, “Today was a good day.” “Yeah, today was a good day,” I said. Our guidebook had taken us the area and we took over from there. No, we didn’t climb the Great Wall or visit a thousand-year-old temple, but we braved Beijing all on our own. With only the help of a guidebook.

I couldn’t help but think how our day served as a great metaphor for life. Don’t be afraid to wander, to risk, to point at random and just dive in. But always carry a guidebook to keep you on track and a friend to share the moment with. And at the end of the day, even if you’re exhausted and bruised, at least it makes a good story.

Houhai

2008-07-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

I think I've found one of my favorite districts in Beijing. It's an area called Houhai, a lake/bar/restaurant/shopping area. All four of my favorite things all in one. During the day, it's very relaxing. You can meander around the entire lake, rent a paddle boat, sit outside for lunch. At night, it turns in to a little mini Vegas. We found a bar called Huxley's which plays classic rock (all your favorite dad music like the Ealges, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, etc) and which has the motto "Shut Up. Just Drink." And is said to make one of the best mojitos in the city. How true that was. Ask me. I had four. (In my defense, they were kind of small.) Here's some pics from the daytime (by night time, I was too focused on those darn mojitos.)

(This bride to be is getting professional photos taken a few weeks before her wedding. The wedding industry is growing faster in China than any other country, because the twenty-somethings are making more money--thanks to all the jobs in communications and technologies--than ever before.)

A Few Photos

2008-07-21T22:58:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken at a local bar called Bla Bla Bar. It's located on the campus of Beijing Language and Culture University, so there are always a ton of international students! This night I met people from Italy (I was able to practice my Italian), Germany and Switzerland. The other two students in the picture, Eric and Leslie, are my fellow cycling reporters.

Ah, cute Chinese babies.

Here I am at the Summer Palace, the biggest imperial palace garden in Beijing, 2.97 sq km. Behind me is Kunming Lake. You need pretty much all day to wander through this gigantic palace garden.

Did you know the Great Wall's in China?

2008-07-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Recently, the Beijing Olympic Organizing Comittee (BOCOG) organized a tour for all 300 volunteers to great sights around Beijing. Imagaine my suprise when they decided to show us the Great Wall of China, which had long been considered a symbol of Chinese detatchment. Though today, instead of keeping people out, the wall is bringing people--aka tourists-- in to China. Even the Olympic commericals are using The Great Wall in its campaign, showing a pole vaulter flying over the wall. Which, for the record, is actually impossible.

Because the Great Wall is so great, and over 6,000 kilometers long (I have no idea how much that is in miles, so you'll have to do the math yourself) there are many access points to the wall. We went to Badaling, which ocated about an hour outside of Beijing. This is the most popular section of the Great Wall. And by popular I mean touristy. And by touristy I mean crowded. And by crowded I mean I got in a shoving match with a Chinese man. He started it.

Please see below photo for said crowdedness.

Of course, this is just the area outside of the Wall's entrance. Because the wall is 6,000 kilometers long, there is plenty of room to spread out once you actually begin climbing it. Another reason we were especially crowded that day was because the Mexican President was visiting the wall, so naturally, they had to close off an entire section of it for him. I hope someday I am important engouh that they have to close down the Great Wall.

Before we get to the pictures, let's have a quick history lesson. According to my guidebook, The Eyewitness Travel Guide to China (recommended for its pictures and facts, though not neccessarily practical as it doesn't have restaurant/club/shopping info) The Great Wall of China was created after the unification of China under Qin Shi Hunangdi in 221-210 BC. No, I don't know who this Qin guy is either, but anyhow. The wall ultimately proved ineffective, however, and was breated by the Mongols in the 13th cetnury and again in the 17th century. Those darn Mongols.

Today, most of the Wall has crumbled and only a small section has been rebuilt for tourists such as myself.

When people say "Climbing" the Great Wall, that is what they mean. Some parts of the Wall are so steep you have to hold on to the gaurdrails for dear life. I climbed just about as far as was allowed, and there were numerous points on my journey where I was so tired (and scared of falling) that I wanted to turn back. Then I would get passed by an 80-year-old woman in slippers. So, I kept going.

Column 3

2008-07-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

Raindrops Were Falling on My Head

Funny story: I met John Thune’s niece at a nightclub the other night.

Not-so-funny story: On a different night, I was coming home for a delicious Mexican dinner and I stupidly left my wallet in the cab. Lost items include my driver’s license, two school pictures of my sister, one credit card, one debit card, 8 yuan (less than two American dollars) and Ken Curley’s business card.
The loss of these items is upsetting for two reasons. First, and most upsetting, I was planning a major shopping trip to a bargaining market the next day that is now postponed until further notice. Second, and not quite as upsetting, I think my parents love me a little bit less.

Anyhow, these things are not what I was planning on telling you about. I was planning on telling you about my shameless day of tourism. Here goes. It was a dark and rainy day. Mind you, a rainy day in one of the world’s most polluted cities (with 13 million residents, the air in Beijing is not exactly Montana mountain fresh) is quite different than your typical rainy day. It feels like the liquidated dust, smog, dirt, exhaust and breath of 13 million people is plopping on to your head and wrecking your hair. Oh wait, it is.

Also, on my shameless, rainy day of tourism, genius here decided to wear flip-flops. And my umbrella broke. And our tour guide was named Echo. And Echo’s microphone was broken so her voice actually echoed, which I found irritatingly ironic.
Needless to say, the forecast for my trip to two of China’s tourist highlights—Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City—was looking dingy. A word about Tiananmen Square: The world’s largest square, it is nearly 63 soccer fields in length. That day, the massive gray square was dark from the clouds and rain, but at the same time brightened by hundreds of umbrellas. Visible from the square is the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao (we will discuss him another day.) Tiananmen Square was, well, very square. While it was memorable, I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to be looking at. At least it stopped raining.
Next stop on my shameless day of tourism was the Forbidden City, which apparently is no longer forbidden. Significantly larger than Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City contains grand entrance after grand entrance, building after building—all divided in to three main areas. First, there is the outer court, where the emperor took care of his state affairs. The inner court where he kept his empress and many concubines (he also had many male servants but he castrated them to keep them away from the concubines). Finally, there is Imperial Garden where the emperor relaxed and entertained.

The Forbidden City was nice, though on a gray day, slightly less impressive. By the time we reached the inner court, most of the tourists (Asians and Westerners alike) got a little bored of looking the buildings and started, well, looking at each other. Pretty soon, I became the tourist attraction. Not kidding. I was approached by little old ladies, middle-aged men and small children—all wanting to take a picture with me (or any other blond-haired, red-haired or curly haired girl in our group.)
As it turns out, many of the Chinese tourists are from small towns and apparently, a strange looking blue-eyed, curly haired, tank top wearing blond girl is a heck of a lot more intriguing than some old Forbidden City. I’d have to agree. Not to mention, all this attention was starting to make my day a whole lot better.

After a quick break for lunch (your typical noon snack of flowered pork-kidneys, beef in oyster sauce and nuts with sweet corn) Echo brought us to a Hutong, a traditional Chinese neighborhood. Here I enjoyed a ride on a bicycle Rickshaw—one of the things on my China “To Do” list.

Our day of shameless tourism ended with a perilous set of crumbling stairs to the top of the Drum Tower. According to Echo, during the Ming Dynasty, time was kept by the beating of a drum every half an hour. By that time, I was in such a good mood; the prospect of falling down ancient stairs didn’t even bother me that much.

When I got to the top of the tower, and stepped outside to walk around the outside, the sun was shining so brightly I had to put by sunglasses on for the first time in a few days. The rain had cooled the hot Beijing temperature by about 15 degrees and the air was so clean I could see as far as my eyes would let me. I looked over the yellow roofs, the construction, the busy streets, the river with brightly colored boats filled with tourists, the red tops of the hundreds of rickshaws, and the sun. It was the first time I’d seen the actual sun.

And my hair looked really good. And I bought a cute new umbrella from a street vendor for less than a dollar (for the next time it rains). Up until that point, Beijing had been a big gray blur. I wasn’t really sure where I was or what I was doing here or if I liked it. But I now have a distinct moment in my memory when I decided: I’m in China and I like it! I guess sometimes it takes a little rain to was away the smog and clear the picture.

(Walking up the stairs of the drum tower. Notice how good my hair looks. And how I would quickly die if I took a tumble.)

How To Use Chopsticks

2008-07-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

This blog isn't meant to be purely musings on life in China. In fact, it is meant to be an educational tool. Here, I am about to teach you a very valuable life skill: how to use chopsticks.

1) Put one chopstick the area between your thumb and pointer finger (like you are making a gun with your hands)

2) Hold the second chopsick like you are holding a pencil (preferably a sharpened #2 pencil in classic yellow)

3) Go down for the food keeping the the first chopstick (the one between your thumb and pointer) still

4) Move your index finger, which will move only the upper stick.

5) If all else fails, you can use your chopsticks as a shovel, by places the two together and holding it like spoon. The Chinese actually do this.

6) If that fails, I suppose you could use your chopsticks as spear.

Creatures of the Night

2008-07-16T05:39:00.002-07:00

When one thinks of China, weird food probably tops the list. When my parents visited China 11 years ago to pick up my adpoted sister, Jae, and bring her home, this was one of the things they kept mentioning: the food is so strange! Well, China has Westernized quite a bit in the past 10 years. And on the verge of the Olmypics, their cuisine is getting tamer and tamer. Just recently, a ban was put on dog meat in Beijing, as the government didn't want anyone accidentally ordering Kung Pow Dog. Also, while they sell them at grocery stories, I have yet to see any chicken feet floating in my soup. Of course, they still serve flowered pork kidney and stinkey tofu.

However, there is one place to go to find their weird, the bizzare, the naseous, and somtimes, the suprisingly taste. Wangujing Street by day is a bustling shopping street with numerous malls and department stores (including the main Olympic Store.) But by night, the creatues come out of the woodwork. Wangfujing is the host of the Night Market, which features an wide variety of creepers, crawlers and critters to munch. Silk worms, scorpians, water snake, sea horse, lizzards, starfish are all on the menu. Of course, they have some delicious wontons, flat bread, fruit, shrimp and spring rolls for those with a tamer palatte.

Here was my menu for the evening:
Fried dumplings filled with mystery meat (hopefully chicken)
Spring Roll filled with mushroom, onion and mystery meat (hopefully chicken)
Silk Worm--very crunchy on the outside, mushy on the inside (quickly followed by an entire can of Tsing Tao beer)
Sea Snake--extremely chewy, pretty sure that is was poop tastes like, if I'd ever had poop, which I haven't
Noodles--suprsingly, these made me feel worse of all, as my body still hates noodles after promptly vomitting up airplane food noodles, but to the average noodle eater, I suppose they were pretty good
Another Tsing Tao beer
And another
Scorpian--this was scary to bite in to because I was worried it would poke my mouth, but it tasted kind of like those crispy fried onions that you put on green bean casserole, or maybe a Funion. Yes, that's it. It tasted like a Funion.

Diggin' in to some silk worm. Notice beer in hand, in case of emergency.

I initially thought these were mice. Turns out, they giant shrimp. Or prawns. I guess I don't know the difference.

Piping hot pile of shredded stomach, anyone?

I Miss Cheese

2008-07-15T01:29:00.000-07:00

Having been in China for almost two weeks now, I'm starting to miss a few things from home. My family, My boyfriend. My cats. My soft bed. But, most of all, I miss cheese.

I understand that many Chinese people have low lactose tolerance, resutling in a nation-wide cheese shortage, but I really, really like cheese. And as I've gotten older, the stinkier the cheese, the better. China has no cheese. Sure, they have cheeseburgers and cheese pizza. But that's not REAL cheese. I know this may seem like a pointless post, but I just need to get this out of my system.

And I'm not the only one. My friends and I were sitting around a restaurant table saying, "Gouda." "Blue Cheese Crumbles." "Baked Brie." "Sharp Cheddar." Just spouting off a list of our favorite cheeses.

My drive for cheese made to so desperate that I sought out an Italian restaurant--a real Italian restaurant--in search of delicious cheese. Fortunately, on the menu, I found a gigantic tower of ricotta cheese and grilled vegetables. It was heaven on earth.

Sorry about the pointless post, but I feel a whole lot better now.

News Stories

2008-07-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Here's two news stories aired in China on a news station CCTV. Check 'em out if you're interested...

This on is on the CCTV Olympics Channel about our trip to the Great Wall:

http://space.tv.cctv.com/act/video.jsp?videoId=VIDE1215861787936489

The one is on the CCTV 1 News Broadcasting, an important news bulletin in China:
http://www.cctv.com/video/xinwenlianbo/2008/07/xinwenlianbo_300_20080712_7.shtml

The Tourist Halts

2008-07-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

These don't fit in to any category just yet--but here's a few appetizers on some upcoming topics on my blog and in my column.

Ah, the delicious food in China. Here, we have some tasty silkworms. And yes, I've tasted them. Crunchy on the outside and mushy on the inside. Stay tuned to find out about more of the weird and delicious foods I've eaten.

This is a first-time thing for the Beijing Olympics: Volleyball socks. The soles on the bottom of the sock gives the athletes more traction AND keeps their feet from getting too hot. I start my Olympic training tommorow, which means more about sports (my specialty!) soon.

The English in China is...interseting. While the attempt is always appreciated many are not quite par. One sign in a bathroom, for example said, "Forbid the Bowel Movement."

2008-07-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

Look at my cup size!

2008-07-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

On our first completely free day to wander at will (no training, no tours) my friend Blair and I decided to give ourselves our own tour, following a 14-step self guided tour in a travel manuel. You'll read about the day in an upcoming column (there's so much to tell I just can't keep up), but I'm going to tell you about one particular aspect of our day. Cupping. We went to a massage parlor of sorts where we indulged in a Chinese therapy massage (in other words we were beaten, pounded, kneaded, stretched, slapped, and poked.) The massage ended with a thing called cupping.

So, here's what's up with cupping. Hot glass cups (they look like stemless wine glasses) are placed on various pressure points on your back where they create a vaccum, suctioning out bad energy, heat and toxings from your body. It's a form of Chinese alternative medicine that has been around for thousands of years so we figured, 'When in China, do as the Chinese do."

This pictures are mildly embarrassing and yes, I realize that now, technically, there are somewhat topless photos of me on the internet, but this is for the sake of education people.

STEP ONE

Here he is lighting the glass cup on fire, then quickly blowing it out and the forcefully putting the cup on my back.

STEP TWO

I am now almost completely covered with hot cups that are pulling so hard at my skin it feels like 6 very large elephants are giving me back hickies. It hurts but the idea is so ridiculous I can't quit laughing--which pulls my skin even more.

STEP THREE

The suction created giant welts on my back and my pores were huge where the toxings were basically sucked out. They then rubbed the welts and tried to make them go down a little. They were still puffy the rest of the night.

STEP FOUR

A post-Chinese massage photo. As you can see, I wasn't exactly relaxed. However, for the next few hours, I felt amazingly zen and over the next couple of days, I had an incredible amount of energy.

STEP FIVE

I was expecting cup marks on my back, but not so larage and severe of bruises. It was pretty painful for the first 2 days, but not unbearable. Plus it made such a good story...

Now, 5 days later, my bruises are only slightly visisible. While i'm glad I had the experience, I might just stick to a foot massage next time.

Two Quick Things

2008-07-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

I forgot to tell you about two very important things from my Hutonh/Rickshaw day...

This is not actually a park. These people are exercising in an outdoor gym found in almost every Hutong in China. And the really amazing thing is this: PEOPLE ACTUALLY USE IT! Amazing. Many Chinese people tend to be, with the exception of their adorably chubby babies, pretty fit and trim AND they exercise. I wonder if there is a coorleation here. Anyhow, I thought it was pretty interesting.

There is no redeeming cultural value to this photo other than they are sink stands that look like butts, so I thought it was worth a mention.

Hutongs, Rickshaws and all that good stuff

2008-07-10T03:49:00.000-07:00

After the Forbidden City, all 60 of us shameless tourists visited a Hutong, which is a Chinese neighborhood where real live Chinese people live. It's quite a phenomenon because it is basically a tourist mecca directly in authentic culture. The residents who live in these Hutongs have been living there for thousands of years. Well, not THEM, but their families. It is quite an honor to live in a Hutong. To begin our tour we all hopped on a rickshaw--see lovely picture.

Tian'anmen Square and the Foribben City

2008-07-08T00:57:00.000-07:00

We indulged in a day of shameless tourism--checking out the infamous Tian'anmen Square (which is 63 soccer fields length from end to end, according to my tour guide Echo) and the former residences of Chinese emperors in Forbidden City (which Echo says has 9,999 rooms)

Honestly, I wasn't sure WHAT to expect. The two are located in the historic central part of the city-a 30 minute bus ride from our hotel. (We live in what is called the Academic Northwest--where several major universities are located.)

You might recognize this man. Yep, that's Mao himself. Or rather, this is painting on the outside of the building that contains his body. For many older generations in China, Mao is especially revered, even considered Godly. Many Chinese believ the Chairman was a great man who, in his old age, simply received bad advice from those closest to him. This memorial hall is visible from Tian'anmen Square.

This is just one of the many buildlings in the Forbidden City. I'm not including many picutres because it is just so large I cannot do it justice with my digital camera. I guess you'll just have to Google it.

These are two really neat trees in the garden of the Forbidden City. As you can see, the two branches, over hundreds and hundreds of years eventually wound together.

Quite possibly the cutest thing I've seen in China.

Young Volunteer Journalists Settle in to Daily Life

2008-07-08T00:21:00.000-07:00

Below is a link and a copy of an article written about us in the China Daily, the only nationally distributed English-langauage newspaper in China.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2008-07/04/content_6818182.htm

Young volunteer journalists settle in to Chinese life
By Bryna Sim (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-04 07:39
Comments(1) PrintMail

A pillow, a first-aid kit and a pile of American snacks made up a good part of Kayla Bowcutt's 27 kg of luggage.

Although this made her bags 4 kg overweight, she could not bear to part with these "essential" items.

"I was afraid of getting a craving for American food and not being able to get it here," the 20-year-old photojournalism student said.

Bowcutt is not the only one worried about missing food from home.

A number of other students also brought along granola bars, candy and dried fruit, in addition to other home comforts such as family pictures and soft toys.

The students are part of the US Missouri School of Journalism's delegation for the Beijing Olympics, made up of 59 students and two professors who will call Renmin University of China (RUC) home for the next two months.

They are the second group of overseas volunteers for Olympic media operations and follow the first arrivals from the University of Iowa last month.

Although it has been only a day since they arrived, the students are eager to get started.

"Ever since I knew in December, I was coming, I have been counting down to this day," Bowcutt said.

Most of the students have attended two preparatory meetings a week over the past four months, including talks by US journalists who have covered previous Olympics, as well as lectures on Chinese culture.

Besides attending an orientation program that includes Olympic volunteer outfit tryouts and learning how to bank money, the budding reporters will hear lectures on Chinese culture from professors at their host RUC, and also tour media outlets such as People's Daily Online and Beijing Youth Daily.

These activities should prepare them for their responsibilities, which include collecting flash quotes and writing press conference highlights during the Games.

Some of the students are apprehensive about communicating with Chinese people.

The communication barrier has already led to problems.

When the students went for dinner, they had problems reading the menu, as it was in Chinese.

Thankfully, Lynette Yau, a broadcast journalism major from Hong Kong, was there to translate.

"I translated about 10 types of fried rice," she said.

The First Couple of Days

2008-07-07T02:23:00.000-07:00

The first two days started both painfully busy and painfully slow. In other words, they weren't altogether interesting--but there was lots o'busy work to take care of at the University.

This is me and the Dean of Renmin University. I was the chosen one to pin the Dean with our official Mizzou pin. He wasn't wearing a jacket--so for while there I was worried I was going to have to reach down his shirt to put the pin on. Fortunately, he had a pocket.

This is kind of an interesting thing here in China: many of the elevators have the days of the week on the carpet. It's like underwear--only rugs. Of course, only the really fancy places have this. No, seriously. At least it helps me keep my days straight and this rug is especially correct. After a long week, Friday was more than welcome.

On one of our first nights, my roomate Leslie and I wandered in to a Chinese restaurant with ONLY Chinese language. No English. No pictures. No buffett. So, we figured, "what the heck" and just randomly pointed at a line of Chinese, hoping for the best. This is what came out--and it was pretty darn good actually. This may have to be a fall back approach for the rest of the trip.

The First Supper

2008-07-04T02:28:00.000-07:00

My dinner at a cafeteria on campus, which way beats what you'd imagine in a typical American cafeteria. No macaroni and cheese here. Instead, dumplings and hot and sour soup! Delicious! The entire meal cost a whopping 14 yuan which equals roughly $2.50.

Welcome!

2008-07-04T02:25:00.000-07:00

We are very important people. Here is our welcome at the Renmin University.

The Bird's Nest

2008-07-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

We got to see the Bird's Nest, the main Olympic venue, on our trip to the hotel! See, it's called the Bird's Nest because it kind of looks like a bird's nest. It's a bit of a drive because of traffic (around 40 minutes) from where we're staying. More info and better pics on this to come...

Finally Here

2008-07-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

This picture, at the arrivals gate in the Beijing Airport, really isn't the interesting. But it is the first pic taken on Chinese soil, so it was worth a post. I'm here with Leslie, my roomate. All 60 of us were met at the airport by student volunteers and program organizers who brought us to the Renmin University hotel by bus. It was fancy.

Preparing to Zonk

2008-07-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

This is a picture taken in the total of 30 minutes I was awake. Ten was spent being yelled at by the flight attendant for various airline misdemeanors, 10 was spent eating rubbery chicken and noodles and consuming one moderately used and safely perscribed Ambien and the final 10 was spent vomitting up said chicken and noddles, which seriously made me wonder how I was going to handle REAL chinese food. Then again, given the choice between ox tail and flight food, I'd take the tail anytime.

2008-06-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

So, what exactly am I doing?

2008-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puMit2ASKPA

Bye Bye Brookings, Ni Hao Beijing

2008-06-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

Column 1

Not to brag, but I possess a wide array of skills and expertise. For example, I am practically an expert source on neuropsychology, Gauntanamo detentions and satellite imaging. Not to mention, I can French manicure my own toenails and make a darn good panini. But there are two subjects on which my knowledge is severely limited: China and Sports. Here are the three facts I know about China: It boasts a huge population, a fortune cookie has 56 calories and China claims one of the longest unified civilizations the world, dating back to 1600 BC! (I’m sorry, but I think that is just crazy! It’s kind of hard to imagine. Such a small cookie and 56 calories?!?) Here are my three sports facts: Tiger Woods plays golf, one shouldn’t sit down in the outfield during a softball game and pick grass and juice boxes and ice cream bars are usually served by the athletes’ parents after each major sporting event.

So, where am I going with all of this mumbo jumbo? Well, I’ve always thought that a lack of knowledge on a subject should not be a reason to avoid it, but rather, regarded as an opportunity to learn. So when I learned that the Olympic News Service (ONS) was searching for volunteers from several journalism schools across the United States to assist reporters at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, I thought: Who better suited than I? They say ignorance causes fear, and if that were true, I’d sure hate to go through life fearful of Asia and athletics.

Seven months, one interview, a test and a mock debate later, I’m packed and ready for China, and even more, the Olympics. And I plan on bringing my experience back from Beijing through frequent columns to The Register over the next two months.

Some of you may recall the 2004-05 column I wrote during my year abroad in Italy. At the time, I was only 18, slightly immature, slightly overindulgent and enjoyed spending my time (and parent’s money) shopping, eating and visiting culturally enriching nightclubs. Four years later and a mere 15 credit hours away from receiving a degree in magazine journalism, you will likely find me much changed. I am now 22.

So, let me give you the basics and we can go from there. I leave July 1 to spend two months in Beijing as one of 600 worldwide, English-speaking volunteers (including 60 students from my university). I will work for the Olympics News Service, a internal news source that assists journalists by gathering flash quotes from athletes and coaches, writing previews and reviews of sporting events, attending press conferences and writing conference highlights. Each volunteer is assigned a sport or venue to cover and mine is and I will primarily be reporting on Mountain Biking, which was my second choice of sports, right behind Judo and right before the Ribbon Exercise.

While I’m not permitted by the ONS to write official news articles for any other publication and while I think I’ve clarified that I am not an expert in Chinese culture, I hope to give you an accurate perspective and fair observations on these controversial Olympic Games and the complex and fascinating country of China.

Last night at Kings Wok, which we all know is the epitome of Chinese cuisine, I took two 56-calorie fortune cookies from the buffet. I ate one right away, but I saved the last one to open when I finished my first column aka this column. The cookie was delicious, but I enjoyed my fortune more. Here is what is says: ‘Life is a series of choices. Today yours are good ones.” I sure hope so.