life. in china. captured through the eyes of a nomad named jen.

mother chu just got back to beijing from a week long quick and dirty tour of china. literally. an easy target for salesman here and back in the US of A, she bought some cream made of pearls. okay. can handle that.
but a silk worm poo pillow? ew.
it’s “fragrant” she says. “and it will help me snore less.”
i am so grossed out that i’m sleeping on the futon tonite instead of sharing a bed with her and her fragrant silk worm poo pillow. she claims it’s all in my head that it smells. i’m sorry silkworm or no silkworm, poo is never fragrant. especially when it’s laying on my wonderful queen bed with 400 count cotton white sheets.

china and my mother. a mix that makes me go, “oh me, oh my.”

9:41:58 PM jennychu97: i think i say i like nice sensitive sweet boys
9:42:03 PM jennychu97: when i actually like assholes
9:42:12 PM jennychu97: because when they are nice, they seem like sooooo nice
9:42:27 PM jennychu97: and u feel special that they are being nice and not an asshole

So this past week has been May holidays, one of three golden weeks in China where the whole country is on vacation at the same time.

Last May, I pretty much hid inside my cousin’s apt the whole time, taking respite from the hectic month of April (job searching, making new friends, familiarizing myself with BJ).

This May, I pretty much hid inside my apt the whole time, taking respite from the hectic months of March and April.

In the past two months, I traveled to Xiamen, Fujian Province; Shanghai, a small town I don’t even know the name of, Zhejiang Province; and Shenzhen, Guandong Province.
At the airport, during my first few business trips, I was like yeah, “look at me, I’m a consultant” while toting my laptop and small carry-on.

Now, I can’t wait to exchange the business attire for my scruffy Eagle Creek Backpack for an extended weekend jaunt down in Yangshuo where thousand year old karst mountains, the river, sunshine(fingers crossed) and tranquil villages await me.

Until then, I have settled into being a misanthrope of sorts, willing away the hours in my bedroom, recharging my intellectual (reading nerdy things like the Economist) and physical (sleeping in till 11:30) sense of being. Altogether, not bothered to take advantage of the blue sky days that have been gifted to Beijing. A golden week indeed; no rush hour traffic does wonders for the air quality.

I did however, stepped out of my humble abode on Tuesday to take part in China’s largest outdoor festival. The Midi, now in its 8th year, attracts thousands of young rock enthusiasts from all over China. Heavy metal predominated the live musical offerings, thus it was no surprise that I found myself on a grassy hill behind the hip-hop stage. Sipping on gin and juice. Classy indeed. Good times, good times.

** darn it, this proxy server doesn’t allow me to post pictures so click on this link to the MIDI festival to see some authentic Chinese Punk Rockers http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2329&l=03508&id=508952104

Living in a hectic city like Beijing, I yearn for days like these. A day where my cell phone is on silent, so I am not awakened by an early morning text. A day where pancakes are made for lunch and fresh pesto pasta eaten for dinner. Eaten alone in my robe with my Ipod docked into the speakers, songs on shuffle.

In between, catch up phone calls are made to two of my dearest friends abroad. One newly engaged, another a new mother. Both witness to my mild anxiety over an old fling arriving into town on Tuesday.