Sorry for writing the title in Chinese, but I guess it is simply befitting to do so given that it is my last day (night) in Beijing. Apologies for the broken, crass, unbeautiful language too. It's just that I feel that for now, speed is of the essence. I will edit it later (if I feel like it hehe)
It's impossible for this single post to cover the my 4 1/2 months of journey here, but I'll give it a go nonetheless. Let us begin with statistics to offer the ending. Over the period of time, I made numerous friends and acquaintances: a large number of Indonesians, a few Chinese, and some internationals. They are mostly from my class, but the spread is amazing, ranging from Switzerland to Kazakhstan.
These people are responsible for bringing me to a bar for a first time. I ordered an Irish Coffee, thinking that it would be a big cup of coffee with diluted, weak alcohol. Instead, it came out to be a small cup of concentrated liquor with a shot of espresso - I barely drank half of it. It was that evening too I had my first taste of cigarette: It is no different from swallowing a bunch of needles. The initial sip sucks as well, but the aftertaste gets a little interesting. Apparently they come in different flavors.
My bigger aim is definitely to learn mandarin, and although I feel that I still have a long way to go, it's not too bad now;) I am fortunate enough to have quite a few guardian angels looking after me, ample opportunities to shop and taste fantastic food, and to visit new places. There are definitely breathtaking sites, be it nature-related or history-related ones. I learnt quite a few lessons about living in Beijing as well, let me share some:
1. There are dumb ways to die in Beijing. Like seriously. Buy a life insurance before coming here.
2. A surgical mask is always handy to have in Beijing. We don't need to discuss about the amazing levels of pollution, it will protect your poor nose from crowded subways in the Summer or the fantastic restrooms here.
3. When crossing Beijing roads, never trust the traffic lights. Trust your surroundings, trust the speed of the car across the road or the one coming to you. To make it more convenient, look for seasoned locals with reasonable walking speed and just copy their exact move.
Having said such, I discover that Beijingers are often very nice, warm, and reasonable people (except when they try to sell stuff). So don't hesitate to stop by and ask a stranger any questions. They are exceptionally good at directions as well. Just mention that you are a 老外 and they will pardon you of whatever you lack, especially the lack of "er"s in your Mandarin. Hahahaha.
Moving on, my language partner also told me some stories about how the game is played by students seeking to enroll in universities, of how it is perfectly acceptable and reasonable for students to pay to receive a recommendation letter from the professors working in the institutions of their dreams.
Looking at the general picture, I discovered that Chinese ideals and cultures do exist. They are a bunch of nationalistic and patriotic people, but they are pragmatic at the same time. Exceedingly practical until it bleeds sometimes. Babies with holes in their pants. Urinals without covers. Generation gap exists, as in everywhere. Virtue and Confucianism still pretty much intact, but there are apparent conflicts with today's materialism and sheer pragmatism. (well, isn't this pretty much happening everywhere these days? haha)
I must profess, there are still some businesses undone, some things unsearched. I guess it was simply not the time yet, I shall grow and focus into the state of being before I can reach that point and meet these particular people. Whatever I did, are doing, or will do to arrive there were, are, or will be rendered useless, but nonetheless, I will keep doing it anyway, until I can stop doing and start being. And only then will everything be paid off.
I also learnt, through the hard way, the necessity to differentiate between gold and worthless alloys. I spent a good four and a half months chasing what I thought to be gold, feeling down, stressed, emotional, and all the unnecessary stuffs and sacrifices, only to discover the gold to be a worthless alloy. Only to discover the metal to be lackluster in comparison to the gold I discovered a few days before my last day here. The gold perhaps is the most golden so far (does this make sense?) the first one to receive a double A score based on my charts ;) Although only disappointment awaits as I have to separate myself from them, it has been pleasure knowing them though. Thank you:)
I'll stop here. My 紧张 roomie has hit the hay. I feel like doing so as well, but I am afraid that I still need to clear up my finer points. See you in Jakarta!
Truly Indonesia's Finest,
PS (Post Jakarta edit) I forgot to mention that through my four and a half months there I discovered how sometimes depressing it is to be an Indonesian (at the present day). Apart from the fact that we lie southern from Singapore, somewhere in South East Asia, most foreigners know little about us. Neither are the Chinese interested in learning Bahasa Indonesia (a stark contrast from popular languages such as Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, and of course English). It is high time for us to develop the long awaited and much needed soft power.
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