Beans and Nuts

Beans and Nuts is No More

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 22:52:00 +0000

Oh, The Places I'll Go...

I've closed up shop at Beans and Nuts and started anew. Visit eatpraylovetotravel.com to keep up with my travels and adventures.

Original Artwork for Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 05:35:00 +0000

I'm fundraising for the Susan G. Komen foundation and have posted original artwork on eBay. Please check it out!

http://ow.ly/5HI3g

or, learn more about me and the walk: http://www.the3day.org/goto/katebagoy

Rant - Textbooks. Proceed with caution.

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:58:00 +0000

So, I had a little epiphany tonight about textbooks. As I sat reading page 358 of my international business text, it occurred to me that this was the first class in which the syllabus called for the entirety of the text to be read. Now, if I were a freshman or sophomore in high school that would not be an issue. But I am finishing up a masters degree. Which means I have more or less 18 years of education. I say more or less because that doesn't include preschool or extra years of college or the fact that technically I dropped out of high school and got a GED. But I digress...

The point is, I have had about 18 years of education and have yet to use a textbook to it's entirety. So W-T-F am I paying these ridiculous amounts of money for? Let's discard the elementary to high school years, as the State bears that brunt (another issue entirely) and focus on post-secondary education. The particular book I am reading is a new edition which retails for $162, but I bought an international version for $70 (which is identical except softcover). Other books I've purchased have ranged from $60 used to $195 used. This means that at a minimum I have spent $120 per term (2 classes) for 8 terms (quarters) of grad school ($960) and $240 per term (4 classes) for 8 terms (semesters) of undergrad ($1920), or a whopping $2880 on text books*.

Of those 48 textbooks I purchased, I have read (been assigned) approximately 50% of the content, which means that about $1440 has gone to absolutely nothing. It's killed a few trees and it's paid a few scholars, but there has been no benefit to me whatsoever. $1440 is more than a months mortgage for me - this is not cool. Personal hurt aside, wouldn't it make sense for these textbooks to be broken up into manageable chunks that can actually be utilized? Instead of purchasing 3 separate $60 texts on marketing with 24 chapters each, couldn't I buy 3 separate volumes of the same book for $20 each?

The whole point of this rant is to say this: Houghton-Mifflin, MacGraw-Hill, Thompson-Rueters, et al : I am on to you. And someday I am going to start a business (based on your teachings) that will change the textbook industry and take you down. So be on your toes. In the meantime, back to page 359.

*Assuming I paid for a used or international text. Had I paid retail and we can assume double the price at $8,640 total

Y Tu, Real Simple? Y Tu?

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:49:00 +0000

First off, the ad makes my skin crawl in oh so many ways. I do not understand how creepy little rubber monsters kissing your feet sells shoes. Also, said shoe is called Patricia, which I think says it all.

Second, Screw you Real Simple. Not only did you accept this advertisement, but you included a tutorial on how to make planters out of the most hideous shoe on the planet. I may cancel my subscription.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go wash my eyes out with bleach.

End of Year Reflections, Redux

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:03:00 +0000

Every year I take the time to reflect on the past year and look towards the new year. I don't really do resolutions, as they are mostly excuses for me to fail - I mean, seriously - how many times have we all joined the gym in January only to be reminded in May that you have spent $200 so far on one workout. No thank you.
But, I do find that reflecting a cathartic experience, and because I know you are all voyeurs (or you wouldn't be here), I now present Peanuts 2009 Year in Review. Enjoy.

Firsts
In January I was rear-ended on my lunch break, which resulted in back and neck injuries and therapy. While not completely disabling it was a struggle and a total pain in the ass to fit 3 weekly visits with a chiropractor into an already busy schedule. My insurance company cut me off months later, resulting in my first hiring-a-lawyer experience. But it all worked out in the end - turns out, my lawyer kicks some major tuchkas and now I can afford to eat.

In February, although still having physical trouble, I tried to snowboard for the first time. I suspected that I would be pretty terrible at it anyway, considering I can hardly walk without hurting myself, but was excited to try. Needless to say, the results had to do with me on my ass for most of the day, followed by more back pain. Good times.

Also in February, I hired a stylist. Yeah, you read that right - my own personal stylist. I had found a New Years special for Inspired Style, a company that focuses on determining your body style and the type of clothes that fit, at any weight. I figured that since my weight has fluctuated my entire life that I could at least learn to dress it better. So, Anne came over and took some horribly embarrassing photos and measurements and we went over my personal preferences. Other than the photos that have since been burned, it was a good experience and I learned some things - not that I've really done much with the results... you'll still fine me in jeans most of the time.

In March, Jayna and Eric came for the weekend and we went to Newport for the Seafood and Wine Festival. Veronica also came, which was such a nice treat. The 5 of us rented a house on the beach and had some good times. The festival was a bit of a disappointment for me - too crowded, too expensive and poorly planned - but we had fun anyway. We also climbed a lighthouse, and say some seals - I like seals so, good times.

In May, Rob and I went out to Bend and spend the weekend with my cousin Scott. It was my first trip to Bend and I was surprised to discover how much it reminded me of Flag - I was delighted. We drifted down the river on our inflatable Walmart rafts, which we named Full Sail and something else beer related. Scott taught Rob to shoot a bow & arrow and introduced us to the Red Beer. Excellent times were had. Oh, and we saw Star Trek - while no one will ever surpass Shatners acting capacity, I thouroghly enjoyed it.

At the end of June I departed for an amazing 2-week trip to China. It was simultaneously the most wonderful and most annoying trip of my life. I loved China - I mean, really loved it. To the extent that I was daydreaming about spending a year living there, learing the language and getting driven around in my company limosine by my personal driver. On the other hand, I learned that traveling on a guided tour sucks - and that's putting it mildly. While it's great that you get to see a ton of stuff, you spend most of your time on a crappy bus with no freedom to explore - I felt that I had minimal exposure to the real nitty-gritty. We were shuttled from one tourist trap to the next and one gift shop to the next. My favorite parts were the few times we were able to venture out on our own, and the beautiful countryside near Yangshao. I won't take a guided tour again, but I will gladly return to China any day.

In September, for my birthday, Rob took me one a wine tasting tour and night at the Hotel McMinneville. It was really a cute little town and we loved touring the wineries and taking photos of the countryside. Unfortunately, being the clutz that I am, I took a nice little slide down half a flight of stairs resulting in a really lovely set of stair-step bruises on my backside. Other than that, it was a really nice trip.

In October, Rob and I took a day trip up to Seattle - while not a first for me, Rob had never been and it was fun to experience the city through a newbies eye. It was really way to short a trip, but we managed to take a ferry to Bainbridge, hit up Pikes Market, ride the monorail and have a nice dinner. If only we had been there late enought to hit the hot-dog stand in pioneer square - mmm, hot dog with cream cheese - WIN!

In December, I finished my first year of grad school, and my first business plan - one that will lead to my eventual fame, fortune and internet domination. I'm currently working on two more, but I don't want to brag. December also brought me the Swine flu - something that was not so cool, and that caused my mother endless hours of worry. Obviously I survived this "vicious killer" and lived to tell the tale.

Not So Much Firsts, But Still Worth Noting
This last year also brought some weddings, some babies, some engagements - it seems that they go in cycles. Two years ago I was invited to seven weddings. Seven! This year I witnessed the fallout - babies galore. It seems that everyone I went to high school or college with popped out a kid or was talking about popping one out, and yet, I still don't feel the uterus kicking. Ce La Vie. But, weddings I like - can't complain about free booze, food, love and dancing.

Repeats from last year include Dogtober Fest, the NAU Alumni game, and the International Beer Fest - some of my favorite events. Storm Large also reappeared, when X and I went to see Crazy Enough,which was stellar, BTW.

In July, Rob adopted Bailey, my 2nd favorite dog - well, technically she's my favorite living dog but don't tell her or it will go to her head. It's surprising how much she reminds me of Beanie, and I sometimes wonder if she didn't guide her home to us. She's made everything so much more fun, if not dirtier.

The Best and The Worst Day, Ever
On December 11th, everything went to hell. Well, not everything, but it was the most emotional day I've had for awhile. It was my last day at work, my grandmother died, my niece Ameila was born, we celebrated Jenny's upcoming move to Eastern OR/WA and it was the anniversary of Sabines death. I'm not sure I've ever gone through more emotions in one day. The result was that I was reminded of how thankful I am for everything and, more importantly, everyone in my life. Thank you all for making this year a great one!

New Year, New Life?
No, but a lot changes - that's for sure. I plan to start it off the same as last year, with good friends at Stedman & Brians, although it wont be the same with Steddles being preggers and all! Woot!

After that, it's down to business. Literally - it will be my last year of business school, the start of a freelance career and hopefully the start of a new company for me. I'm excited, scared, hopeful and a wee bit cocky. But, hey, what else is new?

I think I'd like to try snowboarding again, and maybe this year I will start that marathon training that I've been thinking of for years. But, probably not - perhaps I will strive to complete the Shamrock Run without a stop for coffee instead. I also plan to ride my new bike a lot more and generally focus on my health, instead of striving to lose weight. I would like to get back to the point where the muffin top ceases and the chub-rub desists.

There will be a few more weddings (three announced so far), several more babies and getting to meet my new niece - maybe I'll even change a diaper. I'm sure that will kick the uterus into overdrive, yes?

Finally, I look forward to the sale of my house, possible cohabitation and a Caribbean vacation with the man I love. I also hope for visits from friends (yes, Monkey, that means you) and to visit others in Walla Walla, Anchorage, Denver and anywhere else I can afford. This year is all about change and spending time on things that are important to me - friends, family and beer festivals.

Happy New Year to You!

It is possible...

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:47:00 +0000

...that I kinda, sorta, quit my job. It wasn't entirely intentional, nor is it completely set in stone. But, out of some sort of sense of obligation, I felt compelled to tell my boss that I am unhappy and ready to move on. This was in response to a great speech from our company founder about having passion about what you do. Which I don't. Anyway, my bosses response was that he needed at least 2 months notice. While I find it flattering that he seems to think my skills are on par with Jesus, I think he is slightly insane to ask such a thing. So I told him that I could not promise anything because I gots to look out for myself, but if that was the case, consider himself served and I will be gone by early next year at the latest.

A good portion of me says that I am absolutely insane for giving up a paying job that I am good at. The other portion of me says that I've known this wasn't a good fit since week one and sometimes you just have to leap. That's how I ended up here in the first place and it served me well - for a while.

But, now I've got a year of school under my belt and I'm feeling like the cocky little MBA that we all hate. Not really, but I do have a business that I feel is going to be great and I have realized that I want to be more creative and have more control. I don't mind "working for the man" but it has to be in a capacity that serves me as well as the company.

So, I'm officially looking for work. There is so much contract work lying around right now with a certain former employer that I had no doubt I could make the rent. But, I'm also getting to weed through candidates for my current job and that is a startling and frustrating task. Of the 80+ candidates we've received in the last 2 days, I would estimate that:

25% - Did not even read the job description and applied out of shear arrogance and hope
25% - Read the job description and saw a few items that they were qualified for and sent a stock resume and cover letter. If you are not qualified in all areas, fine. But at least TRY to explain to me how you fit the job. If you have spent the last 10 years pursuing your graduate degree in Anthropology and working for the Smithsonian, that's fabulous. But tell me how you think thats going to help you create collateral, plan events and sell copiers. (P.S. It's not. Call the Historical Society).
20% - Are absolutely insane
10% - Are over qualified and I feel bad that they would relegate themselves to a low paying job because they are desperate to feed their families.
10% - Are fresh graduates that I want to take under my wing and explain resumes and cover letter to, or that I want to say "you are too F*cking good to dash your design dreams by working in B2B marketing. Go talk to Weiden or I will kick your @ss."

Leaving 10% actual *mostly* qualified people. And this is me not being picky, I'm being generous and thinking, "Okay, so he doesn't know how to use a computer. We can outsource that."

Oh, and if you know anyone that needs freelance work? Have them check out my new portfolio and call me:
www.katebagoy.com

XOXO,
Peanut

For the cyber stalker in you...

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:30:00 +0000

In the past week I have:

1. Been found on Facebook by someone I worked with more than 10 years ago
2. Been told that my blog was found through a Google search
3. Received an email from a college friend I hadn't spoken to in years
4. Fallen on my butt, resulting in a stair-step shaped series of bruises (but that is neither here nor there).

Apparently, cyber-stalking season is here and I am flattered. I find it odd that people are interested enough to seek out my little rantings, but it's also quite nice. And a reminder that I haven't posted in ages. Here's a quick recap...

Work.
School.
Boyfriend.
House.
iPhone Obsession.
Friends.
Birthday & Bruises on the Butt**

That's about it really, life is full of fun.

**I turned 31 last month and as part of his 3-part birthday-surprise-extravaganza, R took me to wine country for a nice weekend escape that was just what I needed. Unfortunately, a day full of booze and slippery stairs were not.

Surveys

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Hello All-

I'm doing a survey on internet & eCard use for class. If you can spare 5 minutes please fill this out and pass the link on to your friends!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=KdLokcGWwrigwL6A_2bf09mA_3d_3d

Sincerely,
Kate

P.S.

If you can, please help my friend Stefanie out too and share your wine drinking habits!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Fo1IxsgEaQm_2bCUlyW7Qr_2fQ_3d_3d

Post Mortem

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:20:00 +0000

You may find that my notes are not incredibly deep - most of them are jotted down during bus rides between tourist attractions. There is also a lot of mention about the forced shopping, and some griping about the tour, a huge source of contention with our entire group of travelers. I will never take another trip through EF Tours, and I don't recommend it for anyone over 22, but it's by no means a reflection on China itself. Just want to put that disclaimer down - other than the smell of the toilets, I loved every single thing I experienced in China. And I absolutely loved the people, which kinda took me by surprise.

Growing up I had an image of the Chinese as kind of a cold, rigid people that were very precise and not incredibly welcoming and after my little trip to Korea, I was expecting a certain amount of unfriendliness and a certain amount of disregard.But, I found the complete opposite to be true. People in China were so much more welcoming than I imagined - and so eager to help and to learn. People seemed genuinely interested in meeting visitors and learning about the United States, and loved to get the chance to practice English. I figure it's kinda like Iowa - they don't get too many tourists, so it's nice to hear about all these foreign places.

There are definatly some problems in China, just as there are problems everywhere else, but it really is an amazing place, with amazing people and unbelieveable history. It's no suprise to me that China is taking over the world these days in business, they are brilliant, driven and eager to get what they've been missing through the communist years. As the new generation starts to take over it will be interesting to see how they change their world.

Day Twelve Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:19:00 +0000

Our last day in HK is a free day and we take a trolley, a subway and a tram out to Lantau Island to see the giant bronze Buddha. The tram is about 30 minutes and goes over two small mountains, with views of the ocean and surrounding jungles. We can see the Buddha from about a mile away before we reach the village. We climb about 100 steps to the base of this giant sculpture and can see for miles. The statue was built just a few decades ago but is still a very impressive site.

We have lunch in the tourist village and then head back to the city. We were hoping to head to the beach but the trip to the island took nearly 4 hours and we are short on daylight. We opt to grab some beers and head to the rooftop pool for some much needed downtime. We spend several hours drinking beers, chatting and sunbathing before heading to a nearby Thai restaurant for dinner. The service was terrible, but the food was excellence and the night was a great ending to an amazing trip.

Day Eleven Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:16:00 +0000

On our way to Victoria Peak Calvin gives us some history about Hong Kong, it's British roots and the changes since the handover. We learn that the one child policy is not effective in HK and that they still have alternate form of governments – they call it a one government, two rule system. The property prices and taxes in HK are very low, making it a very appealing place for expats. The max income tax is 15%, and that is for people that make millions.

Hong Kong is the financial hub of the country, but is quickly being gained on by Shanghai. Currently BofA, HSBC, AIG and JP Morgan all have headquarters there, among others. There is also no sales tax in HK, but there are very extreme luxury taxes on items such as booze, cars and cigarettes. The tax for an automobile is more than 40% making it very hard for people to own, leading to a much better public transportation systems and cleaner air. Gas also runs about $13US per gallon.

Calvin tells us that a 20 year mortgage on $200kUS runs about $800US per month, as the interest rate is about 2% and there is no real estate tax. There are no pension plans offered by the companies in HK but because the income tax is so low, it's easy to sock money away into plans.

Victoria Peak gives us a bird’s eye view of the entire city and the quay. It's nestled up in the mountain in a lush forest area. HK is surrounded by parks, with 100's of acres dedicated as city parks – it's really quite incredible. We head next for Aberdeen harbor where we take a boat tour and see the world's largest floating restaurant and are able to take some photos of the fishing boats.

Afterwards we make a quick stop at Stanley Beach and Market where we have a few moments to stick our toes in the South China Sea. In the evening we head across the harbor and watch a laser light show before doing more wandering in the night market. The area is packed full of people but is much more multi-cultural than all the other areas we've visited.

Day Ten Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:13:00 +0000

We get to sleep in until 830, which is so awesome!! Shawn takes us to the airport and 7 of us head to Hong Kong, where we meet our new guide, Calvin. He is wearing a face mask and explains that his wife is 5 months pregnant so he is very careful about germs and wears it at all times. After the SARS epidemic, the Chinese are very worried about any sort of virus and the swine flu has the country nervous.

The drive into the city is so beautiful and very different. All of the sudden, signs are in English and the traffic is completely smooth. They drive on the left hand side, a throwback to English days, and the giant metropolitan city is surrounded by lush green hills. I am instantly smitten. During hotel check-in Calvin teaches a few Cantonese words to get us by, and breaks them into simple American words which is so helpful for our pronunciation. "Joe Sun" is good morning and "Door Chair" is thank you, etc.

We take a trolley out to “Times Square” where we have Sushi for dinner. It was nice to be part of a small group and to have a relaxed time. We walked through the markets afterwards, seeing more merchants, checking out the fashions and eating gelato. We stop on the way back in the central district, a popular drinking area. It seems to be mostly expats, so we are a little disappointed.

Day Nine Shanghai

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:11:00 +0000

We have our first free morning, but only a few hours. We go to a local market to do some shopping and have a quick lunch before reconvening at the hotel to head to Jin Mao tower. We meet a few junior high boys that help us to find the market we were looking for, and they were very cute with their giggling and trying to speak English. It was nice that people seemed to go out of their way to help us.

At the tower a group of kids come marching out of the building on some sort of tour, and they wave and yell “Hello” to us all. Beyond cute! We take the 30 second ride to the 88th floor of the tower and have 360 degree views of the city. It's pretty smoggy so hard to see but it's clearly a huge sprawling city full of high-rises. The tops of the residential areas are painted red and blue, but I don't get a clear answer why from Simon. We get a free pearl at the gift shop.

Next we are shuttled to the EF / English First offices as a substitute for our scheduled visit with an auto manufacturing firm. At this point, everyone is cranky and the joke of the day is that they are going to try to sell us another trip. Instead, they give us a presentation that ends with a slide that says “Buy a Franchise” and I think the entire room groaned. After this we are encouraged to speak with some of the students at the office, and I feel like we are simply there to offer free English practices to the students which is frustrating. After being scolded for being too loud, a couple of us escape and wander across the street to the mall. I feel guilty for not being more interested in the students, but I am thrilled to have a moment in the real city.

The mall is not anything like the markets, and is a huge commercial place completely packed with people. It's literally difficult to move around the giant mall through the throngs of people. Near the food court there is a bottle neck at a row of computer screens. We discovered that it's an automated ordering kiosk for the food court shops – the customers select their meals and snacks and pay there, then pick up their food at the counter. Very efficient.

We have a very short break after this trip for free time, which we use to get foot massages at a small parlor. The proprietors do not speak of lick of English so it’s comical to communicate. The woman asks us if we are French and when we tell her we are American she exclaims “Obama!” and then points to one of the guys and says “Chinese Obama.” On the way out she shakes my hand and says “Thank you very, very much.” Again, I am delighted by the warmth of the locals.

We meet with Alain's friend Tim who discusses life in Shanghai. He seems to genuinely love the country and the city of Shanghai and talks a little about the daily life, the political challenges and the challenges as a manager. I wish that we had more time for this visit and had not wasted time at EF – I felt like I actually learned something about the business culture in China. All the business visits were basic at best and offered little in the way of learning. Listening to Tim actually made me want to move to China!! It’s unfortunate that the most relevant learning experiences we had were on our own and not part of our tour.

Day Eight Shanghai

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:09:00 +0000

An incredible thunderstorm moves through Shanghai and we are awoken by cracking thunder and pouring rain. We meet our new city guide, Sean, after breakfast and he gives us some city culture on the bus. I zone out for some of it, as we have been soooo overloaded and rushed from place to place for so long. I've realized at this point that guided tours are not the way I like to travel.

Sean tells us that more than 30% of the Shanghai roads are under construction in preparation for the 2010 World's Expo, and that major initiatives are underway to improve air quality and green initiatives for the city. He likens 1920's Shanghai to the Paris of the east, with the city divided into sections like Chinatown, Little England, Jewish Ghetto etc. The current population is between 21-23 million and the city is divided by the Yangtzee River.

The day is a very long, busy day. First we go to the Jade Buddha temple, which was very festive and decorated with lanterns, lions and red ribbons. The Buddha is the largest Jade carving and is quite stunning, but no photos are allowed and our trip to the temple is short. Next we head outside the city to one of the universities. We are greeted by a group of students who teach us to make dumplings and we spend a little bit of time socializing and touring the grounds. All the universities are being co-located and this particular campus houses several schools with over 70,000 students!

For lunch we have “minority” food, but I am unsure of the actual term. I believe it is a southern China cuisine, and we have dancers perform for us. The food is the most flavorful we've had yet and everyone at our table seems pleased. At the bar they have more of the snake liquor, as well as a liquor with ox penis and one made of ants. All are said to be beneficial to virility.

We head to the silk factory and are given an overview of how the silk is removed from the pods, and get to meet the worms. Our guide, Tracey, is very funny and I enjoy the history. But, again, we are shuffled into a gift shop where we spend at least an hour. At this point, I am fed up with the constant sales pitches and the fact that we seem to spend more time in gift shops than we do at major cultural sites like the Jade Buddha temple.

Our fifth stop of the day is the Imperial Garden, which is lovely but we are all a little cranky after such a long day and a long time at the gift shop so do not take as much time as we shoud to enjoy the splendor. Instead we rush through and head into the small surrounding shopping area moving from vendor to vendor and seeing their secret back rooms full of purses and watches.

We met with Reggie, the trade representative from Oregon for a Shanghai company. This was the first thing I found beneficial from a business perspective. We do not have a group dinner, but go together to the acrobatics show, which was stunning. The performers do things with their bodies that I didn't know was possible and there is great music and beautiful costumes. I particularly enjoyed the couple swinging from silk banners in a 1920's style musical number, very fun.

Day Seven

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:06:00 +0000

In the morning we went to the Reed Flute Caves, a large cave with lots of interesting rock formations. The rocks are back lit with neon, making a very unique experience. It felt pretty touristy but was a nice break from the heat and humidity. The group took a very long time going through the cave, and I went ahead with a few of the others rather than listening to the guide talk about every rock formation – I was just getting tired of the constant stopping and talking and needed some freedom. The tiny lake at the bottom was the most spectacular part about the cave.

From there we went directly to the airport and flew to Shanghai. The flight was horrifyingly bumpy and I thought I might use my “clean bag.” Because the weather is poor we postpone our trip to the Jin Mao tower and go directly to dinner. We have a small amount of free time in the evening and we walk to The Bund before heading to Nanjing road, a large shopping street close to the hotel. We end up having a glass of wine and a small pizza in the sit down Pizza Hut restaurant, which is very different than the ones at home with high-end service and décor. A stop at Family Mart for rice wine, pea snacks and bottled water completes the night. Jeg Lag seems to be cyclycle.

Day Six - Yangshao

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:02:00 +0000

We board a rickety boat for a four hour cruise down the Li River. During the trip we pass through incredible lush green areas, with amazing rock formations that are printed on Chinese paper money. The scenery is spectacular, even if the humid weather makes it difficult to move. We are served a motley assortment of food, most of which is bland and deep fried. Vendors on bamboo rafts launch from the docks and latch on to the boat in order to hawk their wares. We pass several small fishing villages, with laundry hung outside and see water buffaloes and other wildlife. A man on the boat is carrying around a bottle of alcohol full of snakes, many of us have a small sip and it's better tasting than a lot of the other liquors we had on the trip!

We have a short walk to the bus after we arrive in Yangshao and I am in love. The small town is part European town and part traditional China, a very unique blend of cultures. After checking in at the beautiful hotel we take a golf cart out to the countryside with our tour guide, Joe. We drive out into the middle of nowhere and are let off in a remote section of rice paddies, one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. Even in this remote area, there are people trying to sell us postcards, fans and trinkets. Many of the vendors chased our carts as we slowed down, and they followed us throughout or walk. One woman even had a motorcycle that she used to follow us from stop to stop.

We had a short demonstration of how the farmers use the water buffalo to prep the fields and Joe tells about the planting and harvesting process. A toothless old lady latches on to me, trying to sell me a fan – she is perhaps one of the cutest things I have ever seen but she will not take no for an answer! She just keeps poking me with the fan and saying “okay, okay, okay.' When I giggle, she giggles. The locals will also pose for photos for a small fee. I pay several Yuan to take photos of two ladies with babies in baskets, and a man standing on a water buffalo. I manage to capture a photo of a farmer from the back, overlooking her field.

We hop back in the carts and head into the local village, a small collection of ramshackle houses. We are allowed to visit one of the local homes, and the owner offers us oranges and peanuts – it was a nice treat. The house was simple but functional, with a separate kitchen, a flush toilet but no shower, and a pen with cuddling pigs. The woman is very proud of her grandson’s art, which is posted all over the walls. She also has photos of other visitors including a movie crew, as this is the way she makes money – inviting people in to her home for a tour.

Behind the house a man was butchering a dog for dinner. It was a startling site for an American, and several in the group were pretty upset by it. Although I don't like the idea of butchering a domesticated animal, I understand that meat is meat and there is little difference between killing a pig, a chicken, a cow or a dog when you are hungry and poor.

On the way back into town, we stop at a roadside stand to take a photo and there is a man with a monkey wearing a yellow polyester suit. I felt bad for the monkey, as it was at least 90 degree out, but it was kind of an interesting site to see a man with a trained monkey on the side of the road. After the tour, a few of us took a dip in the pool, which was such a nice break after the constant go of the last few weeks. We went into town after dinner to do some shopping and drank some rice wine while we walked in the rain. We ended up having a snack at McDonald's a little after midnight, before heading back to the hotel on our golf cart.

Day Five Xi'an

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:58:00 +0000

The morning begins with another business visit, this time to Kami Detergent Co. We receive a brief on the products made by the company and brief tour of the facilities, viewing the production line. Again, not very relevant from a business standpoint but fun to see.

Next we go to the Wild Goose Pagoda, a “fairly young” pagoda according to Bryan, at only 700 years old. There is a shrine to Buddha and a place to light candles and incense, with people donating money to purchase long sets of incense that are then burned in a communal pot outside the temple. We do not have enough time to climb to the top of the tower, so I take a quick walk around the grounds to view the smaller pagodas and make a trip to the gift shop. I overpay for some prayer beads, as I wrongly assumed that the available gifts were purchases made to support the temple. Sadly, they were just more vendors looking to take advantage of tourist dollars.

Bryan tells us that we are pressed for time, so after 30 minutes at the temple we go to KFC for lunch. The restaurant is right around the corner from the pagoda and is in the ancient Chinese style architecture, but inside is a standard KFC fast food restaurant. We order in record time and board the bus for a ride to the museum of the terracotta army.

The warriors were discovered in the 1970's when a family farmer was drilling for water and discovered a piece of pottery. He alerted the government who came in and discovered underground tombs full of warriors. Over 4000 warriors have been uncovered in full battle dress, as well as several horses. There are three separate buildings that are still being excavated. The warriors were commissioned to guard the tomb of the emperor, who is buried in a nearby hill. The most fascinating thing to me is that all 4000 warriors have different faces, which were fashioned from the faces of the army. After the chamber was sealed, there were a series of wars and the tombs were raided, warriors smashed and weapons stolen.

In the exhibition hall there was a giant marionette of a warrior holding hands with a creepy little girl, and I did not understand that at all. Apparently there was some sort of tie in with Johnson & Johnson, but it was not clear how the little girl represented this. There was also a stunning photography exhibit featuring world heritage sites. It made me realized how much more of the world there is too see, and I started planning my next trip. We had more than 3 hours at the site, which was really a lot more than was necessary, a source of frustration considering the rushed morning at the pagoda and the lunch as KFC. We easily could have split the time better.

After the warriors, we flew to Guilin and departed into the most unbearably humid city I've ever experienced. We checked into our hotel and were pretty disappointed with the accommodations. Up until this point, the hotels had been great but the hotel in Guilin was abysmal, with black mold on the walls and incredibly unclean bathrooms. The AC barely worked and made the room smell moldy and fishy. A few of us took a walk around the neighborhood to get some air and grab some water, then off to bed.

Day Four Xi'an

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:55:00 +0000

We take a short bumpy flight to Xi'an (pronounced like She On)I and meet our city guide, Bryan. He gives us some history about the city and the region. We are all a little confused and frustrated as to why we have a second tour guide, for which we must tip in addition to Simon. I think by this point in the trip most of the graduate students had figured out that EF is not a great way to travel for adults – it is probably great when you are 18 but at 30 I like to have time to explore and choose my own adventures. The constant sales pitches and additional charges also begin to irritate me.

Bryan tells us that Xi'an is a melting pot city of Chinese, Buddhist and Muslims with rich, fertile soil for farming and the yellow river running through. The city is laid out in feng shui and is considered a middle size city at 8.3 million, which is pretty telling of the dense population. At this point, I have actually been surprised that China is not more crowded – it's certainly more densely populated than Portland but it doesn't feel that bad. After time in Seoul, it seemed downright roomy. I am reminded of what my Korean boss once said – he told me to not be offended by the lack of a personal bubble. He said that we do not mean to be rude, we have just always lived in such tight quarters that we don't have any sense of space!

We go to the National Museum, which house 18 of the major national treasures from the 13 dynasties that reigned in Xi'an. I had a hard time distinguishing or relating to many of the pieces. It seemed that the iron pots all looked the same and I knew they were ancient and important but really didn't get enough time to discover why they were considered national treasures. We also visit a Painting Museum and get the chance to practice some Chinese calligraphy, which is nice. Then we are given the sales pitch again and we spend over an hour waiting for people to make purchases, and further decreasing our free time. After a simple dinner I go strait to bed.

Day Three - Beijing Steele

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:51:00 +0000

We visit the Beijing Steel Company and take a tour of the facilities. As this was our first business visit on the trip we didn't know what to expect. I was a little disappointed that we didn't really learn anything about the operations or get to meet with any of the business leaders. We simply watched a movie, were led through a museum and took a tour of the facilities. I didn't really feel this was beneficial to me as an MBA in any way, but it was neat to see. The steel mill was so hot and dusty – I am amazed that people work in this environment all day long and can still breathe! After just 30 minutes in the mill my clothes were covered in a fine layer of soot and the dust was in my nose, ears and mouth. I also found the scenery interesting – it was a juxtaposition of serene pagodas with steam towers and steel refining machinery.

In the afternoon we are granted a few hours of free time. We left the hotel in a group of about 10 with the intention of going together for lunch. We walked through a street market and I literally gagged from the smell of rotting food. There were buckets of seafood sitting in the sun with no ice and rotting vegetables, as well as some very pungent cooked food, one of which I learned was fermented tofu – ick! Several of the tour mates were making snide comments about China, the food and the people and my hackles went up. I was so sad and frustrated that they would be dismissing the culture after a mere three days and would be taking about how KFC was the only decent place to eat in the city. Rather than saying anything Meredith and I simply took a cab to the Silk Road Market. Once there we ran into Alain and Steve and had a lovely meal – probably my favorite of the whole trip as there were fresh vegetables and the ability to choose our own dishes. The snow peas with cashews were divine!

After, we spent about 2 hours shopping and haggling with the merchants. I am usually not one to do a lot of bargaining but after a little bit I found it to be fun and made a bit of a game out of getting the best deal. I was also surprised by the boldness of the merchants – they would corner us in a shop or grab your arm trying to persuade you to look at their items or scream at you as you walked away. I managed to get some really odd art pieces, a messenger bag and a tee shirt. Wish I had more time.

For dinner we tried Peking Duck, which was delicious but very fatty and rich – I could only handle a few small pieces of the meat. We celebrated Zach's 19th birthday with a toast and some very light delicious cake. He was presented the duck heads as a special treat. Alain ate the cheeks and said they were divine. After the group dinner a few of us headed out for a night of drinking back in Hu Yung. We ended up in a basement club where a girl was dancing on a pole and we paid about $80 US for a bottle of Smirnoff vodka – yikes! We had fun but there were definitely some hurting people the next day on the bus!

At dinner David encouraged us to make some cultural observations – Which culture do you like better – US or China? Should we adapt, should they? Should we meet in the middle? I believe that America could learn much from an ancient culture like China – we are such a young country and are isolated in many ways. I think there are certainly things we have advantages over, but I enjoy both cultures. Overall, I would change little about the Chinese culture – I found the people to be incredibly warm and welcoming, and I appreciate the rich history and willingness/ability to continue to learn from it. I think that China is in a bit of a weird spot politically and we will probably see some major changes as the younger generation grows up and takes control. I hope that they do not lose touch with the culture and become completely Americanized – fast food, materialistic, arrogant, etc. Although, I really do think our toilets are better. ;) I also like to refer to the traffic in China as controlled chaos – there is little regard to the rules, with people driving against traffic signals, weaving around cars and taking turns whenever, but it somehow seems to flow and there are relatively few accidents.

Day Two - BadaBing BadaLing

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:47:00 +0000

After American breakfast we take a 2 hour bus ride to the great wall. Am struck by how huge the wall is, much bigger and steeper than I imagined. Managed to climb to the top and can see for miles. The air quality is also much better outside the city and we see blue, clear skys. The wall is incredibly crowded, but mostly with Chinese tourists. It's interesting to not see many foreign tourists, and again our crew is a bit of an attraction with the locals.

At the gift shop we share celebratory beers and buy souvenirs as we wait for the group to reform. The bathrooms are entirely squat toilets and are not well maintained. Due to limited plumbing throughout China, paper is generally not flushed and is instead kept in baskets near the toilets. It stinks.

The great wall is technically still in Beijing and runs east to west across almost the entire country, beginning in inner Mongolia, which is not the same as Mongolia, the country – it is just a Chinese subset. The wall was built more than 2000 years ago, stretched 3000 miles (8800 kilometers) and is protected by the government. In certain satellite images it can be seen from space. The Chinese map is compared to a rooster. There have been 3 main capital cities in China – Xi'an about 2000 years, Beijing about 1000 years and Shanghai the last 200 years. Quote: Don't build your happiness on the suffering of others.

On the bus, Simon gives us some Beijing and China facts. Cantonese and Mandarin are written the same way but spoken differently and sometimes cannot be understood - interesting to have two languages under one country. Cantonese is mostly spoken in the south. East Beijing is considered the central business district, with modern high rise buildings. South Beijing is the modern development zone, where all the manufacturing facilities are. West is the financial district and North is the sports and education center including more than 100 colleges, universities and high schools, as well as the Olympic park.

At lunch we taste Chinese liquor for the first time – very strong, smelling like rubbing alcohol and served in little tiny cups. There is more forced shopping here, mostly for enamel pots that we are demonstrated. The process is quite time consuming, with little metal strips being hand applied before the enamel and the firing process.

On our way back to town we stop at the Olympic Park for a 20 minute walk around. The birds nest is truly an amazing piece of architecture and I'm glad we got the opportunity to see it. The Watercube looked like it was made of jello and I wish we had more time to go in. The crew is now lagging and we are getting goofy and cranky. We are taken to a tea house for a demo and more forced shopping – getting really irritated with the constant sales pitches. The tea was lovely.

Afterwards we take a rickshaw ride around Hu Yung and see the interior of a traditional quadrangle home. The home consists of four building centered around a common square – very neat design, would love to have one if it didn't rain so much in PDX! The home owner is very nice and talks with us a bit about life in the quad house. We learn that they do not have a bathroom, instead they use a public toilet / shower facility nearby. There is some running water for dishes, etc. The bars we pass on the rickshaw have sofas used as outdoor seating and we see hookah pipes – seems to be a very hip place to hang out. There is also a manmade lake with paddle boat rentals that seems picturesque. People are doing Tai Chi in the park.

At dinner we have some very interesting dishes, including a fish that is nearly black in color. After dinner we have a small amount of free time to explore near the Wafujing “BBQ Street.” There are rows of carts filled with all sorts of bizarre BBQ foods, such as snake, worms, sea horse, starfish, shark, dog, and a lot of penis and testicles. I try the snake – it's chewy like calamari and a little salty but not bad.

Day One - Mao Now

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:42:00 +0000

Day 2 Beijing – Mao Now
We meet for breakfast around 730 in the hotel lobby – food is a mix of continental breakfast and “Muslim” items, including eggs, greasy bacon, some fruit and breads, a few local dishes like fried rice and steamed veg. I try to keep it simple for day one as I'm not sure how my stomach will react the first day after a long plane ride. I'm tired but excited, a little stuffy headed.

We take a short bus ride to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. We pass run down areas near the hotel, with roofs that are practically collapsing after years of neglect. Men are huddled on the sidewalk playing Mahjong and smoking cigarettes. Everything is somewhat dirty, but not gross – it just feels like we have travelled back in time. Arriving at the square, things are much different – modern, clean and bustling. The square itself is huge, stretching on for several city blocks, flanked by parliament and other official buildings.

There is a line at least a block long stretching around Mao's tomb, waiting to go in and pay respects. Simon tells us that the line is short today, and that often time it will stretch around the building several times. Mao is still very well respected, but it has been stated that the Chinese now acknowledge that he did do a few bad things. The saying is Mao did 70% right, 30% wrong.

In the square, we are accosted by vendors hawking fake Rolexes, fans, umbrellas and souvenirs. They will literally block your path and follow you around. Surprisingly few beggars, just hawkers. The group from South Carolina is a very exciting site for the locals – it is rare for African American's to be seen in China and many people ask for photos or stare. They do not seem animus in any way, just curious and excited to tell their friends.

The ladies in the square are all decked out in cute dresses with heels and all have parasols to protect from the sun. I'm struck by how fashion conscious the culture is, especially with the limited funds that many people have in China.

We arrive at the Heavenly Gate – it's huge and looks exactly like the photos but is somehow less impressive. With all the tourists around snapping photos and eating ice cream it just loses that sense of power and control. We cross the moat, which smells like sewage and dead fish, into the Forbidden City. Simon explains some of the symbolism of the decoration and tells us about Feng Shui and Yin / Yang.

Yin and Yang are the heaven and the earth, the even and the odd, the black and the white, the man and the women. The Forbidden City consists of 8700 rooms. If one were to spend 1 night in each room it would take more than 27 years. It was built in the 1200's (?) and housed the Emperor and about 100 of his concubines and children. We are told that #9 is the luckiest number and that multiples of nine are used through the structure, as in 45 buildings or 45 dragons to symbolize importance. The tour ends in a nice quiet garden. I am too thirsty to truly enjoy it, instead opting to sit in the shade.

We take the bus to lunch, and I am unimpressed by the clearly “Americanized” food. Nearly everything in the buffet was fried or sautéed in heavy oil and very little was offered in terms of nourishment. Nearly everyone on the tour heads for the gelato after, probably the most popular item (I skipped).

Next door is the pearl shop. We are greeted by Rainbow, who talks to us about the differences between fresh and salt water pearls. Fresh water oysters yield more pearls, up to 30 each. She tells us that were you to eat the fresh water oyster and have a beer you will “go to the bathroom many, many times.” David also earns the nickname “Fish man” after digging around in the tank to choose our example oyster.

We are shuffled into the gift shop afterwards and encouraged to buy pearls, with a “student discount.” Many of us felt pressured and were frustrated by the forced shopping excursion. We spent well over an hour there, time that could have better been spent. On the way out we are accosted by the “watch guy” as we walk to the summer palace. Beggars on the street collect our water bottles to re-use or sell.

The summer palace is incredible – a large scale reproduction of gardens all over China. The emperor was a traveler and wanted to share the splendors of the country with the city of Beijing so commissioned this park to house all the wonders he had seen. Included are a manmade lake, a Buddhist and Taoist temple, the world's longest covered corridor (800 meters, all hand painted) and a stone boat.

The final building was commissioned by The Dragon Lady, the first Empress, after her husband’s death. There are a phoenix and a dragon at the entrance – the phoenix represents the woman, the dragon the man. It's important to note that the phoenix is closer to the door, elevating the woman’s status – something unheard of before the Dragon Lady’s reign.

We head back to the hotel for a quick shower, then off to dinner. Food still feels Americanized, but is much better than lunch. Everyone is exhausted and it's an early night to bed. First Day impressions – China is clearly not the cold, communist country of yesterday. It is rapidly changing, youthful and energetic, but still developing and still not wealthy. A country divided by the haves and the have-nots leads to conflict.

Day Zero PDX to BEI

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:38:00 +0000

As we arrived in the airport, everyone is excited and overwhelmed, talking about all the things we are going to see and experience, wondering what our hotels will be like, how we will be received and what we will spend. Initial group consisted of Niki, Lee, Stefanie, Nick, Julie, Meridith and David. A few group members were late – a source of frustration and the team was wondering if it was an omen of things to come.

In the airport waiting area we are already becoming a minority, with 3 blond girls among us we wonder if we will get stares and we wonder who we will be paired up with on the trip. The flight to Narrita was fairly uneventful, watched a few movies, slept and read the first of three books for class.

As we fly into to Narrita we are hopeful to catch a glimpse of Tokyo city but have no luck – the airport is amid farmland and green fields. It was startling how much it looked like Portland – I'm not sure what I had expected but I was not thinking it would be so green and lush. The airport is very modern and efficient as expected, with very nice art displays and fun shops with foreign goods. An interesting display of paper art and Potato magazine are very popular items. McDonald's has a shrimp sandwich and interesting local flavors, the group is highly amused.

We re-plane headed for Beijing, everyone exhausted and a little loopy. When we arrive we are instructed to wait on the plane for the health officer, who will take our temperature and clear us of the swine flu. The take our temp with a hand held thermometer to the forehead. Once on land, after the customs gate, people are randomly taken for additional testing. Arlene is taken to X-ray for further study, Zach from Michigan was held in Quarantine – taken to hospital for 24 hour observation. His professor was not informed of his whereabouts, how long he would be held or how he could be contacted. We wait at the airport for nearly 2 hours before we are informed of this. Finally make it to the hotel around 2 am. Take a quick shower then 6 hours of sleep.

Photo Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Chiiina

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:17:00 +0000

So, it appears that those pesky communists have Blogger blocked in China, hence the lack of posting. I've also been home for two weeks and haven't posted, because I'm lazy. It seems these days that my thoughts average about 140 characters (for those of you that arn't so technically saavy - that's the max for a tweet). Hoodle, I've added my Twitter feed to the site so if you are coming by regularly at least you'll see that.

I was planning on doing a really nice post on China, and was even going to add pictures and make it all snazzy. But, again, I'm lazy. I also have a very swollen eyeball due to some sort of allergy so I'm taking the easy way out. I'm posting the link to my album on Flickr and I will be pasting the notes I took on the trip for class credit. It's not my usual funny stuff because it was written for school, but it will do. I'm going to post each day as a separate entry, so you can pretend that you are reading this while I was there. But, I am not. I am laying in bed. Let the blogging commence.

26 hours, 10 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Peanut) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Just over 1-day from now I will be boarding a plane on my way to China. Actually, the plane is going to Narita Japan, where we grab another plane to Beijing. But you get the picture.

I'm pretty much packed, just need to do the last minute stuff, download some movies to watch on the iPod during the flight and relax. I've got nearly all my work projects tied up and I am looking forward to two.whole.weeks. of vacation. I don't think I've had this much time away since 2004. Unless you count unemployment, but I don't.

Point is, I'm off for another adventure. Watch here for updates - I will post as often as I can. And keep your fingers crossed that Swine Flu and Nuclear war do not break out while I'm overseas.