Long time, no post... some random thoughts and photos.

My beloved readers (if you are still out there),

I'm sorry for the long pause between posts. Let me catch you up on what's been going on with me for the last three weeks here in Beijing. Feel free to skip ahead to the photos... the text isn't terribly interesting it's really just for my parents. :)

I've settled into a somewhat normal routine. My weekdays have been filled with my Engish teaching certificate program. The program classes are held at a complex called JianWai SOHO. SOHO is a development company that creates building complexes that look as though they were purchased at IKEA and then assembled by, well, me. They have dozens of complexes all over the city and for as cheap and cheesy as they are the Chinese LOVE them. JianWai SOHO is about 15 high rises. Mine is tower B. My floor is 5.

There are about 12 people in my class. There are about 4 Americans, 4 British and another 2-3 Euros. There is a woman from Russia and a man from South America who I frankly can't see teaching English. I can hardly understand their accents and I speak Enlgish. In the morning, we study grammar and teaching skills and in the afternoon we teach a small class of 3-4 Chinese students for practice. I really enjoy teaching and can't wait to start professionally.

In the evenings I go out with friends. It's getting cold here in Beijing and the locals call it "Hot Pot" season. Hot Pot is a type of restaurant where they bring broth to a boil on a little burner built into the table. You order meats and veggies and things and cook them in the boiling broth. My friend Candice is obsessed as are most Chinese. Apparently Hot Pot restaurants are filled to the brim (no pun intended) from now until February.

Speaking of cold, it's been freezing here, but it's a very dry cold. So dry in fact that the government has been 'seeding the clouds'. Yes, that's right, they actually have been making it snow. I was sitting in my apartment last week with Mei and all of a sudden, out of nowhere... BOOOM! There was a clap of thunder and a flash of lighting and it started to snow. Sooooo China.

Anyway, I also enjoy riding my Flying Pigeon (see previous post) around town, hitting the markets and such. I most enjoy hanging out at home and watching the lastest blockbuster on $1 DVD (most of which are still in theaters in the US).

I went camping on the Great Wall last weekend, but I will post separately for that one, as I need to buy a camera cord to download photos and the post will be much better with photos.

Oh, and a couple weeks ago I met a guy named Shawn from New York. Shawn and his Chinese wife Joan are opening a very small bar in Sanlitun (a.k.a. the Western Ghetto of Beijing). Shawn has brought me on as a consultant of his bar for a small fee! Very exciting that I have an actual client here! I concepted and designed the brand and interior, sourced and purchased furniture, lighting and barware, I'm hiring his employees and training them in western service (it's hard to find a good martini in Beijing unless you go to a hotel bar), and I'm managing his opening. The bar is going to be called TRYST and I'll do a separate post for that as well.

So, as my program is coming to a close I am looking for actual work. There are several jobs that pay well, and I'm trying to decide what would be best for me... to work full time for one company, or to work for several companies part time. Each option has it's upsides and downsides... including Visa issues, pay, etc. I am doing well already... the restaurant is going to pay a monthly fee from now until March. If I get just a few private tutoring clients I can get three times my rent, then a part-time job at a teaching school will be money in the bank. I DID apply to a job as a business teacher at an Australian School... it pays 2200USD/month and it's 25 hours a week. If I can get that job I'll still be able to consult and tutor on the side... I guess that's how I could make the big bucks here.

And so life is good in Beijing. I got business cards made and I'm networking my hiney off (to use a word coined by my grandma). Below is the good stuff.

The first photo is my friend Candice at the morning market by my house. Look closely at the background... yes that's right, it's dirty China.

The second is a shot of The Forbidden City from Frangrant Hill. Just thought you would enjoy these two, the only pics that made it off my camera before I lost my USB cord.

Keep coming back for more... I PROMISE more frequent and more fun posts.

JAKE!

Jiaozi!

Yesterday I went with my cousin, Meili, to her assistant's house to partake in a very old Chinese tradition. Her assistant's parents are in town and they invited us over to make Jiaozi (pronounced: Jee-ow-suh) or in English: Chinese dumpling.

As you can see, while the apartment was humble and very small, the hospitality was heartfelt and the welcome was huge. Here's another video showing just how much we had to eat::

After dinner, we were in rare form. The local drink is called Baijiu (pronunciation: buy-jew). It's a traditional Chinese rice alcohol and probably is most comparable to moonshine in the states. The father of Mei's assistant offered it up and it would have been rude to decline... that said, it tastes like Elmer's glue smells.

In the end, you can see how much food they made for us and how special it made us feel. The father even opened up about living through the cultural revolution (this isn't a political blog so I won't go into detail, but if you don't know about it I urge you to do a little research into what the people of China went through during that time). This last video is a video of Mei (isn't she beautiful?) getting into some great conversation with her assistant's family. All in all it was a fabulous evening of great hospitality. I am loving China. Do you see all the beers and wine? The parents were really pushy with the drinks! Obviously it was a difficult bike ride home.

That's all for now. Love you all very much...

JAKE!

There are 9 million bicycles in Beijing...

Hello readers! I finally made it to Beijing and got a proxy server all set up so I can broadcast my shenanigans to you, my loving friends and family. Attached is a picture of me on my bicycle... it's a brand called "Flying Pigeon" and it's truly the Beijinger's bike. I think it was first manufactured around 1,000 years ago and the brakes don't really work and when I pedal too hard it sounds like a factory inside the gear box but I love it.

Beijing is truly amazing. Think 10 course chinese meals with free-flowing wine for $20! Think 90 minute foot massage with unlimited snacks (yes Sharon, I did say snacks) and unlimited movie watching in the same room as three of your best friends for $10. Think fabulously international, clean, and traditionally Chinese.

More to come soon. Are you Ready? Set? JAKE!

On location: Palmer, Alaska

Today I am in Palmer, Alaska visiting my grandmother. Palmer is approximately 40 minutes north of Anchorage in South Central, Alaska and sits in the Matanuska Valley region, Alaska's agricultural center. Palmer was settled as a railroad station town in 1916 as part of the Alaska Railroad system. In the beginning, it was just a small stop on the way to larger, more settled coal mining towns to the north.

In the early 1950's, my grandmother and my (late) grandfather moved to Palmer from Minnesota. My grandfather was a plant pathologist and moved to Alaska to help the local farmers grow produce in the harsh climate of the Alaskan frontier.

These are some pictures of the property my grandparents have lived on for most of their lives in Alaska. The first picture is of the Chugach mountain range, a unique range that runs from the southern coast of Alaska and, packed with glaciers, heads towards the Kenai Peninsula. There are also some photos showing the beautiful birch forest here (that smell like the little, red high-bush cranberries that punctuate the forrest) and the old Matanuska Farm sign and market location.

The final picture is a photo of me kneeling infront of a crab apple tree that was planted on my sixth birthday, making it twenty years old this June. The area I am kneeling in was once my grandfathers crop field. Up until as recent as my late childhood, this was filled with rows and rows of peas, potatoes, cabbage and the likes. Talk about slow foods.

I love interior Alaska and I wanted to share this with you all.
Best, JAKE!

ready, set...

GO!

Ok, so after telling everyone I know to check out my blog (and thus feeling cool for being able to say "you should check out my blog") I feel like I should give some background as to why I'm writing here and let you all know what you can expect in the days, weeks and months to come.

My entire life, I have been a proponent of lifestyle by design. Even as a child I had big plans for myself. I was always drawing what I called 'plans' for elaborate tree houses and forts, 'maps' of far of lands yet to be discovered and, yes, 'concepts' for over-the-top parties and events. There was even a period of time in elementary school when I carried around a book titled "The Pennywhistle Party Planner". It was basically a guide to throwing themed parties, but to me it was a scientific reference to being a pre-pubescent host with the most. From that was born my love for concepts in food, service and hospitality.

From a young age I was hooked. Armed with an imagination akin to that of Roald Dahl and a wanderlust like Marco Polo, I've been fortunate enough to travel to many places in the world and to experience many different types of people. From these experiences I have gathered a sentiment that has become the driving force in both my personal and my professional life. That is, sharing a heart-felt meal and some authentic hospitality is the most effective way to understand and connect with other people.

So without further ado, I am proud to present... ready, set, JAKE! A chronicle of my life presented in snippets of thoughts on everything lifestyle: food, hospitalty, entertainment, travel... basically all the things I adore. I'll be sending video of my travels, my kitchen follies, my friends. I'll be reviewing recipes, restaurants and services. I love my friends and family and am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feelings too. I hope you can stick around to see what happens... I am just as curious as you must be as to where this road will lead.

That's all for now!

jet, set... JAKE!

building momentum

So today I'm closer than ever to getting my blog, twitter, facebook, etc all linked together so that soon I'll be able to blogtweetface my latest findings on everything lifestyle. I'm working on my look for Beijing and the subsequent trip to Shanghai... soon I'll have photos of my progress.

Keep in touch,
JAKE!

ready.set...let's go!

Hello everyone. Excited to share my adventures here with all of you. Check back often for updates and remember that I love feedback. Knowing you're out there makes me feel the love!

Best,
JAKE!