Well, as most you know, Melody and I are moving back to the USA sooner than we both expected. It was not an easy decision to make, but, despite that, we feel we have made the right one. And yes, at least part of the reason is that we miss our family and friends back home as well as the familiar surroundings of life in the USA. But, please understand that when we leave here we will miss this place also.
Beijing, with all its cars, buses, bikes, and people, really is quite a place. It is the place in which one can feel out of place and not out of place at the same time. You see, I have come to the understanding that if you feel out of place and everyone around you feels out of place, you are actually not out of place because everyone around you is just as out of place as you are. (Say that five times fast) Being out of place basically means that you feel abnormal or different from those around you. But, if you are out of place and those around you are out of place then, in a very weird and strange way, this can cause you to feel comfortable in your "out of placeness" because you are just like everyone else, so to speak. Please note this is my interpretation of life here and may not be the opinion Melody or the opinion of anyone else for that matter.
What I'm trying to say is that many of the people in Beijing are really not from Beijing; the city or the municipality. ( just like me) According to Chinadaily.com the population of Beijing in 1978 was 8.76 million people. By 1990 it had risen to 13.82 million people. That's an increase of just over 5 million people in 12 years, a substantial amount of growth to be sure. According to unescap.org, the population rose to 13.82 million by the year 2000; an increase of about 3 million from 1990. Please understand that we are talking about the municipality of Beijing not just the city. According to trueknowledge.com the estimate for 2010 is about 18.7 million for the urban core or the actual city of Beijing, but for the municipality of Beijing the total population could be as much as 30 million. That is an increase of about 12 million in a ten year period. (A municipality or province is kind of like our states)
The reason I'm saying all this is that although some of the increase might possibly be due to the natural increase of the population on the earth as a whole, most of it must be due to an influx of people from other places. Some come from the country or rural areas and some from other countries like the USA.(again, just like me) So that being the case, it's safe to say that many of the people that are here now have originated from some where else. (and all the people said "just like me"). So even though it's not home and I feel out of place here, I'm still comfortable here because most people that are here now not from here.( And again, just like me)
But the time has come for to leave Beijing and return to the country that we love; The USA.
At this point I must confess that there are some things that I will not miss. The smog is one. Some days here you can hardly see across the street, let alone two to three blocks away. Most days the air can even have a smell of pollution and even if it is supposed to be sunny outside it's cloudy. This can very depressing to say the least.
Also, I won't miss the congestion. As I hinted in the above section, Beijing is a very populated place; there are people everywhere. Riding a bike through the streets can be quite an adventure and give one the feeling of being a stunt driver or a competitor in the X-Games.
One more thing I won't miss is the isolation.Very few people here speak English well enough to be able to actually carry on a conversation. So, even with all these people here, no one can understand me and and I can't understand them.
All that being said, I can also say that there are some things that I will miss very much. One thing is that I will miss hearing Chinese. I know that sounds crazy due to the above statement, but its true. I not sure why I feel this way, but maybe it's because it's something I don't understand and I want to. It's like a a million piece jigsaw puzzle or an NCIS mystery that I want and need to solve. (Thank God for the Internet or I would just die missing that show)
I will also miss,believe it or not, riding my bike in Beijing traffic. I have to say that it is really fun to try and out run a bus, or car, or another bike. There's also a kind of freedom in being able to dodge between cars and buses, although I don't think I'll be trying to do that back home.
I also have to say that the people and the culture are truly remarkable. As I watch all the people as they walk or ride the streets and hutongs I am amazed by their pride in their country and themselves and their ability to deal with all the changes that are happening around them. It is also just incredible to see how the people embrace the present without losing all of the past.
Lastly, I could not complete this blog with mentioning the food. It is fantastic. I have never tasted a more flavorful cuisine than what we have both had here in China. Everything from Beijing Duck to Hot Pot, to Jiaozi or Biaozi and yes even the Chicken Feet and Donkey meat is unbelievable. I may never go to an American Chinese Buffet again. (The take-outs are still in play) Also, I must say that Korean BBQ is is fabulous here. (See my facebook page and photos)
All in all, it has been an interesting time living here and I will cherish it always. I will not forget the people I have met and also the lessons I have learned. ( I'll save those for another entry)
All in all, Beijing is quite a place and one I will never forget.
