Everyday life is generally pretty normal in Beijing and one tends to forget that we are living in a totalitarian society. Well, that realization came to the fore when I got a knock on the door about 10:30 on Wednesday morning. Standing at the threshold were two, uniformed policemen asking for my passport and police registration receipt (when you move into an apartment building, expats must register with the police and you must keep the receipt available for inspection). Of course, I had 
neither my passport nor my registration receipt at home because my new employer needed both of them to apply for my work permit. I politely said I did not have them and explained why. They asked if I had a copy of my passport front page, which I did. I quickly got it and presented it to them for inspection. They examined it, took my passport number and said they could call headquarters and check if I was appropriately registered. He must have had some voice wire directly connected to the station because he began to verbally check my information without dialing or even using a phone. While this was all going on, I wondered what they could possibly do to me or where they might take me and what options I would have depending on how things transpired. All those speculations came to a halt when it appeared they were going to leave. I guess I must have checked out because, after asking how many people lived in the apartment and where my husband and his passport were, they left looking somewhat disappointed. I think they thought for a moment that they had gotten one!
There has been heightened security throughout Beijing this week, probably due to the big governmental conference taking place at the People’s Hall, near Tian‘amen Square. There have been lots of soldiers and police, seemingly unarmed, walking around the streets and in front of places of business. 
Later that same day, at my language lesson at the Berlitz Center in the Ritan Park area of the city, two police officers, one man and one woman, knocked on the classroom door, peeked in to see what was going on, and then left. That was the first time in the six weeks I have been going for lessons that an official of that sort was in the building. My instructor was concerned because she, a native Beijinger, had forgotten to bring her ID card with her. Apparently, all residents have to have their documents with them at all times. I suspect once the conference is over things will go back to normal. I’ll keep you posted.
I participated in my second Beijing city bike ride tour. I went with basically the same group of women as last week. This time we were more ambitious and rode round trip approximately 18 miles. We headed to the Muxiyuan Fabric Market which is very far to the south. I didn’t feel as nervous as I did the week before, but I probably should have. 
We traveled through some very congested areas and had to weave in and out between buses, motor scooters, cars and pedal cars. We had a difficult time finding the market and enlisted the help of a kind young woman who led us by foot through some narrow alleyways to the market. On the whole, a pretty intense ride. The market, however, was amazing. We saw some beautiful fabrics and trimmings. I purchased a few things and got some ideas for other projects. On the way home, we passed by a street vendor who repaired bikes and sold bike parts. His repair kit, parts and accessories were strewn along the sidewalk. He was an older gentleman who seemed to have a nice sense of humor. I purchased a bell for my bike, a real need here, which he installed for me while I waited. He then tried to sell us other parts, like padded cushion covers for our seats and baskets. We declined, but thanked him for his efforts, and pedaled off.My days of bike trips are over for a while since I begin work on Monday, March 15th. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Well, believe it or not, I went on a bike trip around Beijing with three other women today. A little nerve-wracking at first but it was good fun. Biked on the main road to a small hutong and then around the lake at Houhai and stopped for lunch in a dim sum style place that you walk around to various stations and choose what you want to eat. It was a very interesting place but I didn't have my tester (Steve) with me so I was pretty cautious about what I ordered. (photo below)
I also managed to open us a bank account today at Bank of China (a little cheating because Steve's secretary Carol helped me fill out the forms in advance).
March came in like a lion in Beijing. Snow began falling Lantern Festival night (February 28) and continued until morning. Total accumulation 1/2 inch. Just enough to make cars and sidewalks white and streets wet and slushy. It was difficult, but the end of Spring Festival revelers managed to get off their fireworks, but to a lesser extent, I think, than they would have had the weather been more cooperative.
When I think about our February here, it was jam packed with settling in, experiencing new things, and welcoming new opportunities. Each day continues to be an adventure. Some are fun and interesting; others bring the realization that we are strangers and at the mercy of others. The biggest impact is the helpless feeling that accompanies the inability to communicate with people around you or the frustration that comes with being illiterate in the country in which you are living. It limits a full appreciation of what is going on around us and I continually wonder what I am missing. Ignorance should be bliss you say? Was the Chinese message on my cell phone an advertisement or is my service being canceled? I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
We are both enjoying our language classes. That being said, we can communicate very little with non-English speaking Chinese at this point. 
My big accomplishment today was ordering a cafe mocha in Starbucks in Mandarin. However, I didn’t listen to what the order taker was saying to the person who makes the coffee. It took an American behind me, who was paying attention to my order, to direct the clerk to make the coffee I had ordered and payed for. The American told me I had ordered correctly but the clerk had miscommunicated the order. It’s not just the speaking, it’s the paying attention to and understanding what is being said around us. Oh well. I’ll try again.My big news is that I was hired by an international school, Beijing City International School, to be the Admissions Manager. I begin work on March 15th. I learned about the job in an English language magazine. Applying for and securing the job was learning experience in and of itself. I'm sure the next couple of months will be a real adjustment in many ways. But I am looking forward to the challenge and I am glad to have more of a purpose to my day to day activity. 
The school website is www.bcis.cn if you want to check it out. It is relatively new (about 5 years) and the people I’ve met so far are motivated and friendly. In a nutshell, I will be responsible for interfacing with prospective parents and students and building relationship with embassies and expat community groups.
Steve’s work keeps him busy. He hasn’t been required to travel much although he has an engagement or two that are outside of Beijing. He comes home with handfuls of business cards, the primary way people introduce themselves here.
We are beginning to find some weekly routines. Our Monday evening activity is the Pub Quiz at the English language book store/cafe called The Bookworm. The first week we went we sat by ourselves and were decidedly the old folks in the crowd. The next week was pretty crowded so a young couple joined us at our table and then a few others and we had a team. Now, after four weeks, a group of six of us (Americans and Brits) convene, have dinner, chit chat, and then partake in the quiz. We do pretty well until we get to the music portion. Mostly modern songs that we have never heard before. We’ll keep trying for that bottle of wine prize!
We did a little sight-seeing this past weekend. We went to the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, a porcelain museum and a eastern medicine center. We also attended a Chinese opera Hua Mulan, the basis of the Disney movie Mulan. The most interesting aspect of the opera was how is appears that the vocalists, both men and women, imitate the sounds of the instruments in the orchestra. We wondered if that is the origin of the Chinese singing style. Anyone have any insights to share? The National Center for Performing Arts, which includes the opera house, is a spectacular building, a must see for anyone coming to Beijing. It is shaped like an egg from the outside with very high wood vaulted ceilings. The floors are marble, a variety of colors and 
patterns. One enters the building under a pool of water which you can look up through when you travel down the main corridor to the performance spaces.
Our sea shipment finally arrived this week. We were most grateful to receive our bed. Seven weeks of sleeping on the low, hard Chinese style mattress that our landlord was kind enough to loan us was six weeks too many! We are mostly unpacked now and ready to receive any of you who want to have a taste of the East.
neither my passport nor my registration receipt at home because my new employer needed both of them to apply for my work permit. I politely said I did not have them and explained why. They asked if I had a copy of my passport front page, which I did. I quickly got it and presented it to them for inspection. They examined it, took my passport number and said they could call headquarters and check if I was appropriately registered. He must have had some voice wire directly connected to the station because he began to verbally check my information without dialing or even using a phone. While this was all going on, I wondered what they could possibly do to me or where they might take me and what options I would have depending on how things transpired. All those speculations came to a halt when it appeared they were going to leave. I guess I must have checked out because, after asking how many people lived in the apartment and where my husband and his passport were, they left looking somewhat disappointed. I think they thought for a moment that they had gotten one! 
Later that same day, at my language lesson at the Berlitz Center in the Ritan Park area of the city, two police officers, one man and one woman, knocked on the classroom door, peeked in to see what was going on, and then left. That was the first time in the six weeks I have been going for lessons that an official of that sort was in the building. My instructor was concerned because she, a native Beijinger, had forgotten to bring her ID card with her. Apparently, all residents have to have their documents with them at all times. I suspect once the conference is over things will go back to normal. I’ll keep you posted. 
We traveled through some very congested areas and had to weave in and out between buses, motor scooters, cars and pedal cars. We had a difficult time finding the market and enlisted the help of a kind young woman who led us by foot through some narrow alleyways to the market. On the whole, a pretty intense ride. The market, however, was amazing. We saw some beautiful fabrics and trimmings. I purchased a few things and got some ideas for other projects. On the way home, we passed by a street vendor who repaired bikes and sold bike parts. His repair kit, parts and accessories were strewn along the sidewalk. He was an older gentleman who seemed to have a nice sense of humor. I purchased a bell for my bike, a real need here, which he installed for me while I waited. He then tried to sell us other parts, like padded cushion covers for our seats and baskets. We declined, but thanked him for his efforts, and pedaled off.
