Katie Goes...

I can hardly believe it, but I definitely got the job singing Jazz at the club "Block 8" wow. I went to meet the owner and manager, and to hear the band I'd be playing with. He bought us all bottles of pink champagne- it was like an urban fairy tale. Now, of course, the hard part starts and probably the biggest test to my perfection complex. However impatient to rehearse and work on songs, it doesn't always work like that in Chinese culture. I think this in itself is going to be a huge adventure. Well, at least it should have a good soundtrack! Check out the promotional videos on the club's website (sorry if the sound is choppy- it's not the best video player) :) http://www.block8.cn/ Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I'm surfing on a different couch now, so I haven't had time to take pix for upload anything new. Of course, much has happened in this last week. I began work at the hospital in earnest, and it is actually quite rewarding. It's also kind of funny that part of my job is teaching people how to smile. A few days ago I was walking toward Sanlitun, past the Worker's Stadium, feeling quite dejected. I'm suprised I haven't felt this way more, but being a big girl in the States...you can imagine, sometimes I feel like a behemoth here. Anyway, I passed these huge piles of windows, being ready to be put in some unsuspecting building and looked at my reflection- struggling with imperfection. All of a sudden I felt completely alone, like a little planet orbiting nothing, just drifting along by myself. A small sting of tears started in my eyes when the most incredible thing happened. Not a huge thing, but profound in it's relation to my little moment of self pity....

good god. i'm in "pizza hut" but they're not serving personal pizza anymore, so i got clam chowder. that was a mistake :(

The day dawned cool and clear. The sky blue and even a few clouds dotting the horizon. After a brilliant lunch at this little outside courtyard I went home to get ready. The nerves started a bit, but they were held at bay by excitement as the elevator rose to the 50th floor of the Capital Mansion, the tallest building in Beijing! The night was clear and a carpet of lights and moving neon swam below me like something out of BLADERUNNER. The Englishman was on guitar, the Frenchman on Bass. We toasted with champagne then I went to the mic. so, i wish i had some more romantic imagery for you, but basically, we were background music and when i went up to the mic it shocked the heck out me because of all the dry air and static electricity! :) It was a great first event, so I was relaxed and had a great time with the singing, even though we had only had one rehearsal. One of the big sponsors and club members came up to me and said what a good job we did and he loved my voice (Whew!). he boug...

I'm in Starbucks at the moment, which is always slightly surreal to leave. I took the bus in to work this morning, which was actually kind of exciting (mostly that I got on the right bus and it took me where I wanted to go!) So, the same night as the French juggler and Spring Cakes, I had the opportunity to look at some old pictures of Kemin's (my friend who is directing OLIVER) grandmother. She and her husband met at school, he a conductor and she a violinist. The husband went to Russia to study at the Tchaikovsky Academy and is now, sadly, deceased. but she did some Peking Opera (the pictures were amazing) and both she and her husband had been put in prison during the Cultural Revolution because of their music. It was pretty profound, looking at their young, hopeful faces, holding on to their violin and cello as though the future would be so bright. How could they know what they would have to go through? Very humbling. So, I was already in a thoughtful mood when I went to th...

What an amazing two days. Different as could be. Yesterday everything seemed to go wrong: a cab driver actually made me get out of his cab after I got in, then there was an awkward moment at work (honestly, office politics already???), there was a tremendous traffic jam, and walking to the bus stop a man said, "hello, how are you" in English, so I thought he wanted to practice his English. Nope, he wanted to sell me porn. Really! as I walked away he ran to catch up and was pulling dvds out of his jacket. sigh. so, I jumped into a cab and spent money i didn't have just to get away. Emotionally spent, I saw the pink ball of sunlight like an alien planet through the smog. I almost cried, but then I remembered that everything is part of the adventure. good and bad. Today, on my way to OLIVER rehearsal, the bus dropped me off in front of a Ping Pong park!!! it was amazing. All these, mostly older, Chinese people battling it out in between rows of apartment buildings and a corr...

Today I started work at the hospital (Beijing United Family Healthcare), and they wanted to start a new English program with me as the instructor- and maybe to help with the customer service training they are trying to start. (the best news, though, is that they are taking care of my visa...) So, since people don't like "training", I made up the "English Language Hospitality Club"... what do you think? I hope it goes well. at the moment I'm working about 6 hours per week starting in 10 days, but with some hour for preparation. It's so interesting with the cultural differences because the Chinese staff are very shy and even if they have problems, they would only say, "oh, everything is fine". So it will be a learning experience for me to on how to draw them out subtly. I think this hospital is going to be the main medical facility for the Olympics. What a crazy year this is here. Tonight I went to an improv class near the drum and bell tower (s...

One of Lidia's friends owns this club and they have a HUGE, red pool table. Which I lost on severely. Wine + Gin & Tonic = very bad pool game. (*don't worry dad, I'm not becoming an alcoholic...yet...) The girl next to me, Eva, was a professional pool player who now works for a production company putting on events like the Rolling Stones and Backstreet Boys (but not together) :) ~ Her boyfriend we will just call "Crazy Todd"

The building to the left is where I stay right now. The apartment is on the 5th floor. There are no 4th floors in any building in China- it's the number of death. No 13th floors either. Good to know. It's just near the 4th ring road and...wait for it...IKEA. :) so funny. Evidently on Friday and Saturday nights people go to the IKEA cafe on dates. Like it's fine dining!!! I can't wait to go!!!!

This place was a lifesaver. It's an expat bookstore/coffee shop that has wireless and tons of amazing books. They are having a literary festival next week, and I'm going to volunteer for it!!! I get to take care of Christopher Koch who wrote, "The Year of Living Dangerously" which they made into a movie with Mel Gibson. And there will be some amazing talks by some incredible authors. Maybe I'll get inspired to actually be a writer one of these days...hm. http://www.beijingbookworm.com/

If you take the #62 bus to the Yonghegong subway stop on 2nd Ring Road, you will see the Llama Temple. I haven't gone inside yet, but it's so beautiful, especially as the sun is going down. Today was a beautiful day with blue skies and sunshine (unlike the previous day when it was like walking through a cloud of smog...ugh)

Lidia and Gan took me to a brilliant Tibetan restaurant with amazing food and a wonderful cultural show. I ate Yak jerky and mushrooms cooked in Yak butter!!!! actually really good! :) I'm starting to eat more spicy foods. Holy cow there are some HOT dishes here.